Guacamole was made by the Aztecs by at least the 16th century.[2] The name comes from an Aztec dialect via Nahuatl āhuacamolli /aːwakaˈmolːi/, which literally translates to "avocado sauce", from āhuacatl /aːˈwakat͡ɬ/ ("avocado") + molli /ˈmolːi/ ("sauce", literally "concoction").[2] In Mexican Spanish it is pronounced [wakaˈmole], in American English it is sometimes pronounced /ɡwɑːkəˈmoʊliː/, and in British English sometimes /ˌwækəˈmoʊliː/. The name of the Guatemalan version has the final "e" omitted (Spanish: [wakaˈmol]).
A Spanish-English pronunciation guide from 1900 lists guacamole as a "salad of alligator pear."[5] Early recipes from the California Avocado Advisory Board (Calavo), published in the 1940s, were accompanied with a pronunciation suggestion: "Say Huakamole". Later marketing tried to create a "luau" or Pacific Island image of the avocado in the 1960s, and a Spanish or Mediterranean image in the 1970s. Guacamole has pushed avocado sales to 30 million pounds on two days a year: Super Bowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo.[6]