Separate the tejocotes (apple hawthorn), tamarind and any other fruit that has large seeds. Open these fruit and discard the seeds or pits.

If the guavas are whole, cut them in half and remove the seeds. But don’t worry if they are not whole and you see a lot of loose seeds as they will be blended.

Place the fruit into a blender, add ½ cup of water or ponche and blend until you see that most of the fruit has been integrated with the liquid, but not to the degree that the seeds of the guavas disintegrate.

If the guava seeds are completely blended, they will give the atole a slightly sandy consistency, let’s avoid this.

Strain the mixture into the pot. Pour the other half cup of water (or ponche) into the blender to loosen the fruit puree that has stuck to the walls and pour it into the strainer as well.

Discard the guava seeds that were surely left in the strainer.

Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the puree and stir over medium high heat with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Pour in 2 cups of milk, stir, lower the heat to medium, and wait for it to boil, stirring from time to time.

Dissolve the cornstarch (maicena) in the remaining ¼ cup of milk.

When the mixture comes to a boil, pour out the cornstarch (stir a little beforehand because cornstarch tends to settle), and stir continuously, waiting for it to come to a boil again.

Taste for sugar. If needed, add more.

When it starts to boil, lower the heat to low and keep stirring until you reach the desired thickness. Turn off the heat, let cool for about 10 minutes, and serve.

Sprinkle some ground cinnamon over each cup if desired.