I know, I know. I don’t eat there either. Last time was at least ten years ago. But—they do have a bell prominently featured in their logo. Why’s that?
Taco Bell was started by Glen Bell in San Bernardino, California in 1946. Ok! Mystery solved! But let’s dig a little deeper. What’s the history of bells in Mexico?
The first bells in present-day Mexico were imports of metal crotals from Central and South America starting around 1000 A.D. (Crotals are hollow spherical bells with a clapper inside that rings when the crotal is shaken. Sleigh bells are examples of crotals.) It wasn’t long before the locals started making their own bells. Mixtecan warriors wore crotal bells on their ankles and wrists. Some of the smallest crotals ever cast (1.5 inches long and 0.3 inches in diameter) were made by Mixtecans and adorned exquisite jewelry. Those destined to be sacrificed to the Aztec gods would wear bells as a sign of their impersonation of the gods. These bells don’t look like the Taco Bell, though.
The Christian missionaries arrived shortly after Columbus and bells came with them. The mission settlements all over present-day Mexico mounted bells to regulate life just as in the Old World. The bells called the residents to services, announced meals, when to quit work for the day, among other things.
These bells resemble the one in the Taco Bell logo. Is Taco Bell referencing the missionary past or Christianity in Mexico today? Perhaps they are insinuating a religious devotion to their food in their patrons? Or a reference to the throbbing sound in your head after you’ve eaten their food? Ok, that was a low shot, Taco Bell. Sorry not sorry.
Eh, I’m not so sure it’s anything beyond wanting to use the founder’s name in the business name, which led to the obvious image choice, which in turn worked out because bells form an important part of Mexican history. Maybe it’s as simple as that. What’s your take?