SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- When you think about drinks from Mexico, tequila and mezcal are likely the first to come to mind, but there's another drink from the same plant that precedes them.
The drink known as pulque dates back to pre-Hispanic times and was believed to be a “gift from gods.”
The story of pulque, much like the history of ancient Mexico, is rooted in legend. It was the cosmological center of different Mesoamerican Empires, including the Mayan and Aztec. The latter called it "octli," which is the Nahuatl word for wine.
The Mexicas believed pulque was a gift to humanity from both the god of wind, Quetzalcoatl, and the nurturing goddess of agave and fertility, Mayahuel.
There are several legends about the origin of agave, also known as the century plant and maguey in Spanish.
A comic by UC Merced professor Dr. Felicia Rhapsody Lopez and illustrator Jordan Collver tells one version. Quetzalcoatl wanted to give humans something to liven them up, and fuel celebrations. He went to Mayahuel, who lived in the night sky with her grandmother. Together, Quetzalcoatl and Mayahuel went to Earth and combined into a plant. Mayahuel's grandmother, Tzitzímitl, was very protective of her family and destroyed parts of the plant, killing Mayahuel. Quetzalcoatl was devastated and decided to bury what remained of Mayahuel. His tears were absorbed by the soil, and from that the first agave plant grew, bringing pulque to humanity.
"Mayahuel, much like many figures we see appearing in Pre-Spanish invasion texts, are very complex," Dr. Lopez explains. "They defy many Western descriptors."
The deity's image can be found in North Park on Adams Avenue, at a Mezcaleria and Tequilaria fittingly called Cantina Mayahuel.
Art depicts both Mayahuel's ancient form recorded in codices from the 16th century, and a modern-day interpretation dreamed up by one of the owners of the cantina. While they don't serve pulque, they do have Mayahuel's other gifts. Unlike tequila and mezcal, which are distilled from the cooked and fermented heart of agave, pulque is a much simpler process.
"Essentially, pulque is the fermented sap from the agave plants," explains writer Bryant Orozco, who not only is a former bartender, but he also travels all over Mexico studying the unique beverages the republic has to offer.
Orozco’s research goes towards "Last Call Mexico," a YouTube docuseries he is working on.
Of course, he's also a pulque enthusiast. He explains the sap is called "aguamiel" or honey water in English. The magic happens inside large wooden containers where the aguamiel ferments by ambient wild yeast.
"Depending on the region it's from, your pulque can be sticky, kind of viscous. It can be almost like kombucha champagne; very soft and fizzy, very light, acidic. [It] could be a little funky,” Orozco says.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine says pulque was the drink of choice for rituals among priests and nobles in the Aztec empire because of its health benefits and perceived magical powers. The elixir is packed with vitamin C, iron, and probiotics.
The Archivo General de México explains pulque lost its sacred roots when Spanish colonizers made the drink a commercial industry to benefit Spanish royalty.
For Orozco, the best place to have pulque is in Mexico with the "tlachiqueros," or pulque producers that have preserved the traditions.
"Going to these different places down in Mexico where pulque is available is almost a pilgrimage in itself," Orozco says. "Because you're kind of paying respect and tribute to this plant."
It's not easy to find pulque outside of Mexico because of its quick shelf life, but it can be found at a South Bay restaurant that touts authentic and unique Mexican cuisine.
Founded in 2019 by Jesus Gonzalez, De Cabeza El Unico is one of the very few restaurants in San Diego County to sell the ancient drink. Among uniqueness that includes chapulines (or grasshoppers in English) and a whole head of cow, Gonzalez serves both cured pulques with flavors, and in its natural form.
"I feel happy when people coming in and they say, 'Hey, you have pulque!'" Gonzalez says.
Even more thrilling for him as a native of Acapulco, is serving something authentic to his homeland.
ABC 10News asked Orozco about the people who sell pulque in the U.S., whether it be at a restaurant like Gonzalez or small vendors on the street of Los Angeles, and he says, "They are doing the community a favor. Especially migrant communities who have been here in the United States for years, and because of their migratory status can't go back to Mexico."
Each sip is a reminder of their culture, home, and roots.
