# The Surprising Secret Ingredient in Tequila > Discover the town of Tequila, where women uphold the traditions of making Mexico's legendary spirit and grow local crafts. Learn its secret. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/udyvytelni-sekretni-ynhredyent-tekyl/ - Language: en - Published: 2024-12-28 - Categories: Culture, Historic Sites, Museums, Tours, Mexico, Food & Drinks --- Set 45 miles northwest of Guadalajara, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, the town of Tequila is known as the birthplace of the drink that shares its name. This picturesque little town, with its colorful buildings and cobblestone streets, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Mexican federal government calls it a Pueblo Magico, or Magical Town. ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-1-2024.jpg) This is where casual visitors sip the fragrant spirit, but there is one secret they may not know: without the women of Tequila, there would be no tequila at all. ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-2-2024.jpg) Growing and replanting agave flowers each year across the Mexican states of Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, and Aguascalientes has historically been entrusted to the women of Tequila. No one knows exactly when women became an essential part of agave cultivation, but the story goes that while the male farmers ate lunch and rested under the parota trees, their wives would come to lend a hand. The women, who turned out to be exceptionally skilled at sorting and caring for the young plants, began working the fields sometime in the 16th century. Related article: La Merced: Take a walk through Mexico City's largest market ## An economic revival Twenty-five years ago, Tequila had just one hotel and a handful of restaurants. Today it buzzes with Mexican and international tourists who come to learn about the history of the spirit and its important place in Mexican culture. Visitors can wander through the agave fields, tour the National Tequila Museum, watch the spirit being made, and enjoy a tasting at one of the town's 22 tequila houses. They can take part in a professional tasting led by a Maestro Tequilero, a certified tequila master, and explore a range of Mexican art exhibits at the recently opened Centro Cultural Juan Beckmann Gallardo. ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-3-2024.jpg) ## The Tequila train On weekends, around 300 passengers take a day trip aboard the Jose Cuervo Express, also known as the tequila train. The two-hour journey from Guadalajara to Tequila passes through the Rio Grande canyon, offering breathtaking views of the bluish agave fields and dwarf oaks set against the Tequila volcano. Train passengers can watch a performance of Aztec dances before boarding; on the way back, live mariachi and folk dancers take the stage. During the ride, guests can enjoy tamales, chips with guacamole, and unlimited tequila-based cocktails. Related article: Discover the beauty of the Mexican island of Isla Mujeres ## Growing agave To officially be called tequila, the drink must be distilled from agave grown in specific regions of Mexico, mainly in Tequila and the neighboring municipalities. The rich volcanic soil and dry climate make this an ideal spot for growing Agave Azul Tequilana Weber (blue agave), a plant native to the area. If you walk or ride on horseback through the Jose Cuervo fields that surround the town, you can watch the agave plants being grown, harvested, and pruned. Farmers in cowboy hats, shielding their faces from the fierce sun, cultivate and harvest the spiky, cactus-like agave plants, while the women of Tequila select, tend, and plant the small, delicate seedlings known as hijuelos (little children). ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-4-2024.jpg) Dressed in long-sleeved shirts and long pants, the women work the fields from February through July, when the agave plants send up shoots. They inspect, clean, and sort the young plants, then send them to a nursery for further care until they are ready for planting. There really is something special about knowing the care and dedication that goes into this process, and it will make you appreciate your salt-rimmed margarita even more. ## Making tequila Visitors strolling through Tequila's main square hear the church bells ring every hour; they catch the sweet aroma rising from the chimneys of the distilleries in the area. Once the pina (pineapple) of the agave plant is harvested, it is brought to the distillery, where it is roasted for 36 hours, releasing its sugars and juices. A 90-minute tour of La Fabrica La Riojena, the oldest working distillery in Latin America, founded in 1795, guides groups through the entire production process, from the brick oven to the cellars. It ends with a premium tasting of Jose Cuervo tequila, where a master (the equivalent of a sommelier) demonstrates the proper way to drink tequila from an elegant, slender glass. "There are many men in Jalisco, but no more than 10 women are certified as 'tequila masters'," says Sonia Espinola, one of the first women in Tequila to earn the title. She passed the entrance exams based solely on her own experience in the tequila industry, then went on to complete a full course at a respected university. Now she leads tastings and workshops. Related article: Visiting Cancun? Insiders share their tips ## Agave byproducts ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-5-2024.jpg) Since only the pina of the agave plant is used to make tequila, Fundacion Beckmann, the nonprofit arm of Mundo Cuervo, has found a way to use more parts of the plant and give local women more opportunities to create, produce, and be paid for their work. Workshops for aspiring women entrepreneurs teach them how to use agave pulp and recycled tequila bottles for handmade crafts. Espinola, who is also the director of Fundacion Beckmann, says: "The women don't just learn to make products, but also to sell them, register their business, create business plans, logos, and much more." To show their support for the ambitious women of Tequila, many hotels, including Hotel Solar de las Animas and Hotel Villa Tequila, proudly display agave-paper notepads and journals in their guest rooms, a commitment to the region's local products. Related article: The best things to do in Guadalajara, Mexico "When my 10-year-old daughter needed prescription glasses, I asked her to help me make agave paper so she could earn some extra money," says Sandra Elizabeth Serna Caballero, one of the women now taking part in this particular program. "I feel useful, and on top of that the creative process is quite relaxing," she adds. One example of how the foundation, funded largely by tequila tourism, has directly changed the lives of women in the area is the story of Ernestina Carrero Cortes. Cortes, a Jalisco native who was struggling financially, turned to the foundation for job opportunities. Her husband was a construction worker in the United States, her son had fallen ill, and she had resigned herself to cooking food in her home and selling it around town to help cover the medical bills. But it was not enough. And so, through the foundation, Cortes learned to knit bags and wallets using agave fiber. Her original designs became so popular that she launched her own brand, Puntadas. After seven years with the foundation, Cortes now employs 22 women in her business, some of them as old as 83, and sells her products through boutiques, museums, and hotels all over Tequila. The women's craft businesses also make use of tequila bottles thrown out by bars and restaurants. Used tequila bottles, donated by Mundo Cuervo brands, are recycled, sorted, cleaned, and handed over to the women at the foundation. ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-6-2024.jpg) A mother of six, Carolina Garcia Torres faced emotional turmoil when she was pregnant with triplets and worried about her family's financial future. "I worried about how my husband, who works at a tequila distillery, would provide for our family," says Torres. She was immediately drawn to the glass-making workshops offered by the foundation, where she learned to cut recycled tequila and wine bottles to create decorative objects such as vases and spoons. Every day, an open-air market runs in the town square, where local women sell handmade bags, lotions, paper, jewelry, and decorations. Visitors will want to leave room in their luggage for gifts and self-care purchases. ## Preserving the culture Mundo Cuervo's Fundacion Beckmann began its work 15 years ago with a mission to preserve the cultural heritage of the women of Jalisco. Around 10 families take part in the foundation's culinary program through ongoing festivals, the chance to sell homemade products such as jams and juices, home-cooked lunches, and cooking workshops. One such festival is Fogones y Metates (Stoves and Grinding Stones). Now in its second year, it will take place in early December in the town of Tequila. The event brings together women from different regions of Jalisco to share and preserve age-old cooking traditions, using local ingredients such as blue corn and criollo beans. Three generations of women, Amparo Rivera, Evalia Castaneda Rivera, and Emma Ramos Castaneda, took part in the festival last year. ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-7-2024.jpg) Travelers looking for a culinary experience can pay for a meal at the Rivera home, where the dishes feature local ingredients from the family's own ranch, called El Chiquihuitillo. This home-cooked meal for visitors to Tequila is one of the foundation's popular initiatives. At the Rivera home, guests sit on an open patio and sip ciruela juice while they watch Evalia and her husband make fresh corn tortillas and warm gorditas de horno (corn and cheese cakes) in a wood-fired oven. These culinary events are arranged through hotel concierges and tour operators familiar with Fundacion Beckmann. The price of the experience depends on the size of the group, the dishes, and more. Evalia said that some people simply call her to pick up a single dish or a few dishes; others gather with friends around the table at the Rivera home. The food is very different from what you would find in restaurants. "This is how my family eats every day. To us it's simple, but visitors find it exotic!" says Evalia. ![](/storage/image/prev/september-article-image-62-8-2024.jpg) A visit to Tequila is not only about understanding the history of the popular drink and gaining a deeper appreciation for it, but also a chance to learn about the Jalisco region: its culture, its traditions, and its people. Almost all of the tequila in the world is made in Jalisco, and in Tequila the women make sure that a way of life tied to the spirit will carry on. Sucheta Rawal aims to raise cultural awareness through food and travel. She is the founder of the Atlanta-based nonprofit Go Eat Give and the author of the "Beato Goes To" children's travel book series.