The Legend of Tequila

The legend says that a storm fell on a field of agaves and several lightning bolts hit the hearts of the plants. This caused the plant starches to cook and become a kind of honey or juice. The natives noticed this phenomenon, and after tasting the juices, they considered it a divine gift from Mayáhuel, the goddess of the maguey. From then on, they made offerings to her, and it was used in their ceremonial rites.

As wine and whiskey have taken their place in modernized Western culture, so too has tequila. While plenty have sampled various breeds of this zesty spirit in the form of a margarita, many more are discovering that good tequila is a drink to be enjoyed like a fine cognac or scotch. Many have put away the traditional salt shaker and lime wedge in favor of savoring the taste of liquid fire...sip by sip!

As north America's first distilled drink and its first commercially produced alcohol, the history of tequila is long and rich. Its roots reach back into pre-Hispanic times when the natives fermented sap from the local maguey plants into a drink called pulque.

Mezcal wine, tequila's grandparent, was first produced only a few decades after the conquest that brought the Spaniards to the new World in 1521. It was variously called mezcal brandy, agave wine, mezcal tequila and finally simply tequila - appropriately named after tequila, a small town in a valley in Jalisco state, Mexico.

The word tequila itself is a mystery. It is said to be an ancient nahuatl term. The nahuatl were the original people who lived in the area. The word means "the place of harvesting plants."

Tequila gained national importance during the Mexican Revolution in the early part of the 1900's when it became a symbol of national pride. The passion for French products was replaced by patriotic fervor for Mexican goods. Prohibition in the United States further boosted tequila's popularity when it was smuggled across the border. Then during World War II, the demand for the Mexican spirit rose again in the United States after spirits from Europe became hard to obtain.

Today, tequila is more popular than ever, and we at Zócalo celebrate the spirit of tequila.