Aztecs and Tarascans called the birds huehxolotl. Many folks in South Texas and Mexico still do. Guajolote or guajalote, "Spanish-ized" adaptations of the Nahuatl word, are commonly used in regions influenced by the Spanish conquistadores who "discovered" this endemic wildfowl and began a process that, 500 years later, sees descendants of domesticated versions - the only important domestic animal of North American origin - grace Thanksgiving Day tables across this country.