The diarrhea suffered when travelling to foreign parts Montezuma was Emperor of Mexico, 1502-1520. The sickness, more formally called “traveller’s diarrhea”, is usually caused by drinking unsterilised water or eating spicy food that visitors aren’t accustomed to. It is a bacteriological illness, always uncomfortable, and occasionally serious. Most cases are caused by E. coli. The revenge element of the phrase alludes to countries that were previously colonized by stronger countries and are now, in this small way, getting their own back
Home / Questions / What is referred to by the phrases ‘Montezuma’s revenge’, ‘Gringo gallop’ or ‘Aztec two-step’?