In the most popular legend of mole poblano, told by Uno TV, a viceroy paid an unexpected visit to a convent in Puebla. The nuns “improvisaron un platillo con lo que tenían a la mano” (improvised a dish with what they had at hand): dried chiles, spices, stale bread, seeds, chocolate and more. México Desconocido places the legend in the Convent of Santa Rosa and names the nun Sor Andrea de la Asunción and the year 1685.
The food magazine Grupo Animal says that these accounts should be taken as anecdotes, “sin ningún rigor histórico” (without any historical rigor). It cites Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, who calls the Santa Rosa origin “sólo leyendas” (only legends).