Tequila Facts: Part 3 – History
During our last visit to Mexico, we were not only busy developing our new products, but were also there to experience and explore more of the rich culture. Of course, in the end it all has something to do with tequila again, but that’s just the way it is. Let’s start from the beginning: with history.
The origin of tequila
The history of tequila begins even before the Spanish first set foot on Mexican soil in the 16th century. The indigenous population used the agave plants, which were already cultivated in some parts of the country at that time, to make mezcal wine. Legend has it that after a lightning strike and the ensuing fire in an agave field, the people discovered that the agave hearts, heated by the fire, contained a sweet, aromatic liquid that, when allowed to ferment, had an exhilarating and relaxing effect – a gift from the gods. But it was still “only” the mezcal wine.
It was not until the Spanish conquistadors that tequila was also distilled from the vino mezcal. When the brandy the Europeans brought with them ran out, they looked around for other ways to quench their thirst and came across the fermented mezcal nectar. They decided to distil the wine to obtain a higher-proof drink – the birth of tequila.
Visiting Barranca de Tecuane
And now we come back to our last trip to Mexico. We had the opportunity to visit the Barranca de Tecuane, an archaeological site that was excavated not too long ago. Originally it was assumed that tequila originated near the town of Tequila in the state of Jalisco, but the discovery of the Barranca de Tecuane, the remains of an ancient mezcal wine production site even older than the oldest parts of a tequila distillery found, challenges this assumption. Does tequila originally come from Amatitán?
We are convinced that a good tequila like the one from beautiful Amatitán is answer enough to this question.
But no matter where exactly the origin is, the truth lies in the tequila.
¡SALUD!
