Pulque: The Pre-Columbian Mexican Drink
Mexican drinks form a vast universe, demonstrating the ingenuity and ability of its inhabitants to take advantage of the natural resources that Mexico possesses.
Pulqueros. Impresión albúmina (1870) by Estudio Cruces y CampaMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
An ancient drink
Pulque, called aoktli in Nahuatl, is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in Mexico. It is produced by the fermentation of maguey mead and its consumption dates back to pre-Hispanic times.
Llenando odres con aguamiel (Detalle) (1900) by Keystone View CompanyMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
Several New Spain chroniclers documented its production and consumption, from Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, to Fray Juan de Torquemada, Toribio Benavente and Francisco Hernández. These chronicles highlight the nutritional properties of pulque and condemn drunkenness and its excesses. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún lists its medicinal qualities, highlighting that pulque accompanied all the ingestion of medicines, mixed with other ingredients.
The chronicler Toribio Benavente describes: “(...) inside that vine they are digging and making a concavity as big as a good pot; and even spending it completely and making that concavity will take two months, more or less depending on the thickness of the maguey ..."
“And every day of these they are taking a liquor in that pot, in which what is distilled is collected. This liquor then as it is taken from there is like honey water; cooked and boiled over a fire, make yourself a sweet wine; clean, which the Spanish drink, and they say it is very good and full of substance and healthy."
Tlachiquero (1870) by Estudio Cruces y CampaMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
The tlachiqueros and pulque
The tlachiqueros are in charge of extracting the mead from the pulque magueys. In the heart of the maguey they make an incision called a cajete, from which the mead sprouts, which is collected by an instrument called an acocote.
Tecomate (2017) by Trabajo poblanoMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
The mead is deposited in skins or skins for transfer to the fermentation warehouses, where they are placed in containers called tinacales.
Miel-Mex. Aguamiel (1965) by Productos de Maguey, S.A.Museum of the Purpose of the Object
Traditionally, pulque has been produced in central and southwestern states of the country, mainly in the pulque areas of Chalco, the Apan Valley, the Tizayuca Valley, the Sierra de las Cruces, the Cuernavaca Valley, Zempoala, Huemantla and Cholula. .
Cacariza. Medida de pulque (1930) by Trabajo poblanoMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
Pulque measurements
A drink as iconic as pulque cannot be drunk in just any glass. For this, there are glasses made exclusively for the amount of pulque to be drunk.
Vaso. Medida de pulque (1930) by Trabajo poblanoMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
The pulque measures include various types of packaging with funny names, such as chivos (goats), tornillos (screws), viruelas (smallpox) or cacarizas, pruebas (test), macetas (pots), tripas (guts) and torreones (turrets).
Salero de pulquería (1930) by Trabajo poblanoMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
They are generally manufactured in glass, and their name is defined by their shape and decoration.
Jícaras (2017) by Trabajo poblanoMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
How was pulque drunk in pre-Hispanic times?
The jícaras are one of the first drinking instruments of ancient Mexico. The jícaras are made from the fruits of Cresentia alata, a type of gourd, also known as a tecomate or huaje tree.
Miel-Mex / Reina Xóchitl. Anuncio (1955) by Productos de Maguey, S.A.Museum of the Purpose of the Object
Industrialized pulque?
Throughout history, there have been several attempts to industrialize and bottle pulque, such as patent No. 645,520 granted to Antonio J. Carbajal by the United States Government in 1911. However, they have been unsuccessful, since the organoleptic properties of the drink prevents it. This is how pulque production has remained almost artisanal.
Chivo. Medida de pulque (1930) by Trabajo poblanoMuseum of the Purpose of the Object
Pulque has survived the centuries because of the place it has earned in the hearts of Mexicans. A party drink, conviviality and the daily life of the Mexican, the ancestral pulque encompasses the survival of the pre-Hispanic tradition on a daily basis.
Curaduría: Antonio Soto
MODO Team
Antonio Soto, Arely Chong, Carlos González, Daniela Mar, Diego Salgado, Edmundo Vargas, Javier Ávalos, Lizbeth Chavez, Mariana Pérez, Natalia Cheng, Paulina Newman, Piedad Romero and Rosario Luna.
MODO, Museo del Objeto del Objeto © 2020
