海角大神

Did you find the Easter egg made of tamales in Oscar front-runner 'Birdman'?

The director of Birdman hid a piece of Mexico City in New York's Times Square during the filming.

Even if you haven鈥檛 seen the Academy Award-nominated 'Birdman,' you鈥檝e probably heard about this scene: Riggin Thomson (Michael Keaton) speedwalking through Times Square in nothing but socks and his skivvies.

That moment in a film nominated for nine Oscars Sunday night has received a lot of attention for how it was made. It was shot live in arguably the most touristy spot of New York City with just a few actors planted in the crowd.

Despite the location and the actor 鈥� both very USA 颅鈥� tucked away in the scene is a very singular homage to Director Alejandro Gonz谩lez I帽谩rritu and sound designer Mart铆n Hern谩ndez鈥檚 native Mexico.

If you鈥檝e never set foot in Mexico City, you might have missed it.

Sidewalks here are alive with unique sounds 鈥� organ grinders, hodgepodge 鈥渂ands鈥� pounding drums, ringing bells, and playing the clarinet, and men and women pumping accordions. Recordings blare from trucks around the city offering to take old mattresses and refrigerators off your hands, and you can even hear the sporadic mariachi band.

And then, there鈥檚 the tamale man.

Possibly the most ubiquitous sound of the city, a recording of a single, monotone, guttural male voice plays from the tricycle of nearly every tamale seller here.

鈥淩icos, deliciosos, y calientitos tamales oaxaque帽os,鈥� (Rich, delicious, and hot Oaxacan tamales) the voice calls, luring hungry Chilangos, as Mexico City residents are called, out of their apartments and onto the street.

The tamale man made a cameo in 'Birdman鈥檚' Times Square.

鈥淲别 movies,鈥� Mr. Hern谩ndez told The Associated Press, referring to Mr. I帽谩rritu鈥檚 work. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 tell you (where), it鈥檚 like 鈥榃here鈥檚 Waldo.鈥欌��

I帽谩rritu isn鈥檛 the only Mexican director to include references to home in his Hollywood films, says Ignacio S谩nchez Prado, associate professor of Latin American studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

Take Alfonso Cuar贸n, who last year became the first Mexican to win best director, for his film Gravity.

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Mr. Cuar贸n, there are multiple references to Mexico, like sugar skulls 鈥� a common accoutrement for Day of the Dead festivities 鈥� in the candy store Honeydukes in Hogsmead. There are also several statues of eagles devouring snakes on the Hogwarts campus, an image prominent on the Mexican flag. And at one point Dumbledore can be heard humming 鈥淟a Raspa,鈥� also known as the Mexican hat dance.

They 鈥減lay these cards sometimes to be able to wink back at the Mexican market, where they still have producing influence,鈥� says Mr. Prado via email. They aren鈥檛 noticeable to average spectators, and 鈥渋t鈥檚 a fun thing to do.鈥�