Did you know that tequila is Mexico’s pride and joy? This exciting and spellbinding liquor is the number one choice for many people worldwide. Tequila was first created in the sixteenth century near Tequila, Jalisco, but the origins of the tequila date as far back as pre-Columbian times. At that time, a fermented beverage called pulque was produced from the agave plant in central Mexico. Are you ready to get away for a vacation in Mexico? If so, check out Today Getaway which has incredible travel packages to the best resorts in Mexico. Ready to sip a margarita on the beach in paradise? If so, continue to read below to learn more interesting tequila facts and history, the pride and joy of Mexico, and start planning your next today getaway to Mexico now.
Tequila Facts and History
As far back as 1000 B.C. to 200 A.D., the history of tequila begins when the Aztecs started fermenting the agave plant to make pulque. Pulque was a milky liquid that was also an alcoholic beverage made by using the sap from the agave plant. In the Aztec culture, pulque was very important. In fact, the Aztec people actually worshipped two gods that they believed had a relationship with pulque. Mayahuel was the first Aztec God they worshipped, and she was the goddess of the maguey plant. Patecatl was her husband which was the God of pulque who was also worshipped by the Aztec people. Around 200 A.D. is when the first evidence that pulque was in existence when sketchings of pulque appeared on ancient stone walls. However, the version of tequila that we all know and enjoy today didn’t appear until many centuries later when the Spanish invaded Mexico.
Mezcal and Tequila Spanish Influence
Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico during the 1400s and 1500s, which was also the time that the fermentation process for tequila was changed from its pulque origins. During that time, the Spanish invaders’ drink of choice was brandy, but this was hard to get in North America. As a result, they improvised by using the agave plant, which actually created the first mezcal that is almost the same mezcal that we all know today. Also, did you know that every kind of tequila is actually a mezcal? During the middle 1500s, the Spanish Government started a trade route between Mexico and Manila, which allowed alcohol including mezcal to be traded more easily. Then, in the early 1600s, one of the first and largest distilleries was built in Mexico in the town of Tequila, Jalisco by the Marquis of Altamira.
1700’s Modern Tequila Was Born
In 1758, the transformation of mezcal to tequila that we know and enjoy today started when the Cuervo family started distilling tequila commercially in Mexico. Over 100 years later in 1873, the Sauza family also started a very large production of tequila. It is believed by many people that Cenobio Sauza was actually the first person who noticed that the blue agave plant was the best plant to use to produce high-quality tequila. Approximately 50 years later, the very first margarita was created in a bar close to Tijuana, Mexico. At that time, many Americans traveled to Mexico to get alcohol that was not permitted in the United States during prohibition. In the 1920s, there were more than 100 bars in Tijuana, and many Americans frequented the bars to get their alcohol fix. In 1936, in the United States, alcohol became legal, then the Tequila bars died down, but an American journalist James Graham was on vacation with his wife in Mexico and they stopped at one of the Tijuana bars that were owned and operated by a man named Madden, who made a special cocktail called Tequila Daisy, and margarita in Spanish means a daisy flower. Madden said the special cocktail just happened to be a mistake, but it turned out to become one of the most popular cocktails in the United States and around the world. In 1953, Esquire Magazine posted the first margarita recipe, which made this cocktail even more popular with cocktail fans in the United States and around the world.
Tequila is Intellectual Property of Mexico in 1974
The Mexican Government officially declared tequila as the intellectual property of Mexico in 1974. This means is tequila can only be made, then aged in certain parts of Mexico making other countries unable to produce or even sell tequila legally. In the state of Jalisco, Mexican law states that that is the only place that tequila could be produced is in certain municipalities in the states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Michoacan, and Tamaulipas. In addition, the Tequila Regulatory Council was created so the tequila quality in Mexico would be monitored. Currently, tequila is an alcoholic beverage that is made from the blue agave plant that is mainly produced in or near Tequila, Jalisco. Remember, tequila is a certain type of mezcal although tequila must be made with the blue agave plants, and other types of agave plants can be used to make mezcal.
There are many different tequilas available for you to sip and enjoy in Mexico. You can also go on a tequila tasting tour if you would like to learn more about tequila, and get to know more about Mexico’s most famous important. Are you ready to plan your next today getaway to Mexico? If so, check out Today Getaway’s current travel promotions and deals. They have the best prices on travel packages to Mexico so you can take a vacation to Mexico, and try some of their best tequila, too.