The Agave landscape and the ancient tequila industrial installations

A Proposed Mexican Cultural Landscape

Ignacio Gómez Arriola

“Deste mesmo género de metl (...) sale mejor aquel vino que
dije que beben algunos españoles, e yo lo he bebido (...) Éste
cuecen en tierra, las pencas por sí y la cabeza por sí (...) y
ansí lo llaman mexcalli; pero si las cabezas están cocidas de
buen maestro y en algunas partes que son mejores que en
otras, tiene tan buenas tajadas, que muchos españoles lo
quieren tanto como diacitrón. Pues dirá alguno, si hay muchos
destos metl; digo que toda la tierra está llena de ellos.”
(from this genus of metl...comes out better that wine which I have said
some Spaniards drink and I have drunk it.... this they cook underground;
the leaf fronds by themselves, or the heads by themselves....and thus they
call it mexcalli; but if the heads are cooked by a good master, and in those
places that are better than others, it has good tajadas, which many
Spaniards desire as much as dyacitron. If anyone asks if there exist many
of these metl, I say that all the land is full of them.)
Fray Toribio de Benavente (Motolinía), 1541 1

Our country is currently fostering the recognition of sites that imply a new manner
of conceptualizing and valuing the fundamental legacy that Mexico has contributed
to world culture. In 2002, the Mexican Government presented UNESCO with its
new Indicative List of site to be proposed for inscription in the World Heritage List.
This Indicative List incorporates heritage categories not sufficiently
represented or scarcely valued at the national and international levels, such as
mixed natural-cultural sites, cultural landscapes, industrial heritage, the legacy of
the 20th Century and cultural itineraries.
Among the sites selected are the Castle of Chapultepéc, the pre-Hispanic
City of Mitla, the Church of Santa Prisca in Taxco, the Ahuehuete of Santa María
del Tule, the House and Studio of Luis Barragán, the studio of Diego Rivera, the
Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque, the campus of the Autonomous University of
México (UNAM), and, in the State of Jalisco, the historic town of San Sebastián del
Oeste and the Agave Landscape and the ancient tequila industrial installations

The Proposal for the Tequila Region

According to our initial consideration, we found that in the mezcal plantations and
in the early tequila production sites, there are values that, in a global context, have
1
DE BENAVENTE, Toribio. Relaciones de la Nueva España. Ediciones de la Universidad Nacional
Autónoma. México, 1956. Pag. 164.

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a unique peculiarity, since they possess a cultural continuity that has its roots
deep in the pre-Hispanic era.
This proposal represents the first time that in our country we explore the
possibility of recognizing the cultural and heritage values of a broad region in their
full complexity, and which do not necessarily refer to emblematic buildings or urban
districts, but to the transformation of a landscape and the industrial heritage that
stems from it.

Conceptual Aspects
Within this region, there have been unique cultural manifestations that involve the
transformation of the natural landscape and the creation of architectural elements
that, taken together, represent a set of values that can be recognized under the
heritage category of cultural landscapes.
The World Heritage Convention establishes principles governing the
protection of cultural and natural heritage places of universal value in member
countries of UNESCO. The definition of Cultural Landscapes is based on article 1
of the Convention, which under cultural heritage includes “the joint work of man
and nature.”
According to the definition provided by the World Heritage Committee,
cultural landscapes are those resulting from the combined work of nature and
humans, and which express a long and intimate relationship among people and
their natural environment. The Committee recognized three categories of cultural
landscapes:

A clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man

An organically evolved landscape.
An associative cultural landscape

The Tequila region can be classified under the second category, since it still
maintains an active role in contemporary society that is intimately related to
traditional lifeways, and where the evolutionary process is still ongoing.
From the time of their recognition in the early 1990s, 28 cultural landscapes
have been inscribed in the World Heritage List. Salient among them are the
medieval vineyards of Wachau in Austria and Hungary, the landscape of the Loire
Valley in France, the tobacco plantations of the Valley of Viñales in Cuba, the royal
gardens of Dessau - Worlitz in Germany, the Amalfi Coast in Italy, the wine
producing region of the Alto Douro in Portugal or the rice terraces of the Philippine
Mountains.

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Cultural Values Present in the Region of the Tequila Volcano
The region has maintained a cultural continuity that can be traced to the pre-
Hispanic period. In it have evolved tangible and intangible manifestations that have
shaped the landscape, the architecture and the ancestral traditions.
As in all Meso-America, a culture of using the various species of “metl” or
wild agave for a variety of uses had developed before the arrival of Spaniards in
the region.
In western pre-Hispanic Mexico, two types of alcoholic beverage were
derived from agave: one was “octli” or pulque derived from the fermented juices
of some varieties; and the other was the “mexcalli” or mezcal, produced from the
fermentation of cooked agave hearts.
The culture of the builders of the concentric structures known as
“guachimontones” and surrounding the Tequila Volcano maintained a type of
regional commercial monopoly in the exploitation of “mexcalli”. With this goal, they
modified their environment and the native flora over the centuries, adapting it for
the cultivation of blue mezcal, or mezcal azul. This variety, whose scientific name
is Agave Tequilana Weber Azul, is found only in this region, and its origin has
been pinpointed to the Canyon or Barranca of Río Grande de Santiago. For its
exploitation, agave was subjected to a millenial process of domestication that
eventually defined its particular characteristics. Insofar as we know, there is no
evidence of this plant growing in the wild.
Its most important use was as a source of sugar for nourishment. It was
produced by cooking (tatemado) the “pineapple” or center core of the plant. The
tatemado took place in wells or circular ovens, similar to those later used in the
colonial era.
The methods of cultivation were perfected through the centuries, giving rise
to a pre-Hispanic agriculture-based culture that still exists in the region. The
selection and planting of hijuelos (shoots), the barbeo (cutting), and the jima
(harvest) are some of the elements extant from ancient traditions that continue in
use.
After the contact between Spaniards and the indigenous people, a well
defined regional identity developed. Among its most salient elements is the
production of vino de mezcal (mezcal wine), which is a process of mestizaje or
syncretism of the pre-Hispanic tradition of fermenting and cooking the mezcal juice
and European distillation technology, which result in an original new product whose
values were universally recognized early on.
Towards 1600, the distillation processes rooted in Arabic culture were
introduced in the region for the production of the Vino de Mezcal, a name that was
later replaced by the local toponymic: Tequila. The process is based more directly
in the experience brought from the Antilles where it was used for the production of
rum from sugarcane.

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 Once the European approach to agricultural exploitation was adopted in the
16th century along with the production of alcohol from a variety of sugar sources,
humans systematically modified their agricultural surrounds and the native flora of
the Tequila Valley to adapt them to the cultivation of this plant which gave the
region a unique character that has come to be defined by undulating lines of
planting that respond to the irregular topography.

THE PRIMITIVE PROCESS OF PRODUCING “VINO DE MEZCAL”

The first step in the production of mezcal wine consisted of the “tatemado” of the
mexcal pineapples or “piñas” in wells or conical ovens of stone, similar to those
used in the pre-Hispanic period. To extract the “mosto,” or juice of the cooked
mezcal, the “tahona” or Chilean mill was adopted. Its stone was moved with animal
traction. The sweet mosto was fermented in underground stone vats for various
days to produce the alcohol. Later, the vats were replaced by oak barrels or
“pipones.” The final stage in the process of making vino mezcal was the ditillation
of the fermented mosto trhough evaporation in primitive copper or clay stills.

The FIRST “TABERNAS”

Towards the end of the 17th Century, the first intensive plantations of blue mezcal
and the Hacienda de Cuisillos were established. The Hacienda was the first
Taberna, or formal distillery for the production of Vino Mezcal.
Due to a vicerregal prohibition on the production of regional wines at that
time, the early tabernas were located in isolated or out-or-the-way places, such as
deep inside canyons, and in the Barranca of Río Grande de Santiago. In the early
19th Century, the taberna was incorporated into the basic infrastructure of all
haciendas throughout the region.

THE TEQUILA PLANTATIONS OR HACIENDAS TEQUILERAS

Over the course of the 19th century, the rise of the port of San Blas as the viable
center for exporting vino mezcal fostered a considerable increase in demand for
the product, and brought about the growth of the haciendas in the region. The
increase in production also drove the expansion of lands dedicated to cultivation
throughout the region.
In response to the growing demand of the 19th century, the tabernas
introduced new methods of fermentation, tatemado and distillation. The increase in
production caused the expansion of cultivation and the establishment of
specialized industrial installations. The early well ovens in which the tatemado of
the mezcal was fueled by wooden logs were replaced by masonry ovens that
cooked with steam, thus establishing henceforth the difference of the vino de
mezcal de Tequila from other similar ones.

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THE FIRST INDUSTRIAL INSTALLATIONS
The need for water in the production of vino mezcal, brought about the
establishment of the first industrial installations witin the town of Tequila, on the
banks of the Tequila River at the beginning of the 19th century. In these factories,
now for the first time with an urban character, the traditonal production processes
were maintained basically unchanged.
Over the course of the 20th century, the industrial production of tequila
became concentrated in the towns of Tequila, Amatitán and Arenal, where modern
production methods were gradually incorporated, including the mechanical grinding
of cooked mezcal and the use of conveyor belts.

The Outstanding Univesal Values being considered for the Nomination to the
World Heritage List.
To justify the nomination of the Agave Landscape and its inclusion in the Mexican
Indicative List, the following World Heritage criteria for outstanding universal value
have been identified as being applicable to this site:

Criterion II)
Exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a
cultural area of the world, of developments in architecture or technology,
monumental arts, town-panning or landscape design
The production of tequila is witness to the fruitful interchange of influences
between two cultures in the early years of New Spain, which resulted in a process
of mestizaje between the pre-Hispanic traditions of cooking and fermenting mezcal
juices and European distillation techniques, giving rise to a product whose values
are now universally recognized.
Artistic trends from Europe were also introduced, producing over the long
period of interchange of human values, a brief but significant architectural sampler
of the evolution of architectural styles
The Agave Landscape - the Paisaje Agavero – is the result of centuries of
interchanges in human values through the convergence of pre-Hispanic and
European technologies.

Criterion IV)
Be an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological
ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history.
The ancient tabernas or tequila distilleries and the cultural landscape of the blue
agave cultivation constitute an outstanding example that, through their evolution
over several centuries, illustrate a significant aspect in the process of human
cultural development. The production of tequila has generated an identifiable

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variation of industrial installations that now constitutes a typology -- originaly
defined in the 18th century, and continuing to evolve, with adaptations responding
to new technologies always respectful of the essence of the traditional processes.
A main gate, an office, the patios, the areas for cooking, grinding,
fermentation, distillation and aging are constant elements that recur in this
industrial architectural typology, and that have responded to the architectural styles
of the periods in which they were built.

Criterion V)
Be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement or land-use which is
representative of a culture (or cultures), especially when it has become vulnerable
under the impact of irreversible change.
The agave landscape and the ancient tequila industrial installations are the result
of several centuries of refinement in the process of producing this beverage. Its
recent demand in many regions of the world and the resulting process of economic
globalization of which it is part, could lead to vulnerability through a transforming
process that would modify its essential characteristics.

Criterion VI)
Be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with
beliefs, or with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
The agave landscape and the ancient tequila industrial installations are associated
with many cultural manifestation that define “What is Mexican” – “lo mexicano,”
both inside Mexico and elsewhere.
The traditions that are linked to the elaboration and consumption of this
alcoholic beverage have remote origins, and are kept alive, meaningful and in
constant expansion throughout the entire world. Literary works, movies, music,
paintings, dance and other broad cultural manifestations have been associated
with tequila, its production, its rituals and its traditional region

Assurance of authenticity
The whole process of cultivation and production must meet traditional techniques
and procedures by law. This is guaranteed by the certificate of origin required for
this product and Official Mexican Standard NOM-006-SCFI-1994. The guarantee of
authenticity, along with other legal instruments, will permit the endurance of the
agave landscape and its installations.

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Protected Area
The protected cultural heritage areas would include all archaeological remains, the
architecture associated with the production of tequila, and the region of traditional
agave landscapes.
Insofar as the agave landscape, the proposal is to protect and foster the
traditional planting fields of blue mezcal. The majority of such fields are found in
Arenal, Amatitán, Tequila y Magdalena, on the side of Tequila Volcano and in the
Canyon of Río Grande de Santiago.
As to archaeology, all archaeological remains related to the production of
tequila in the region of the volcano would be protected. There is a large number of
pre-Hispanic sites from the Teuchitlán traditon which are characterized by the
Guachimontones that are currenlty threatened by the indiscriminate planting of
blue agave
The protection of architectural elements and remains related to the
cultivation of mezcal and the production of tequila in its original region would also
be protected. This would involve approximately 200 haciendas and traditional
indutrial installations in nine municipalities.

The Work Ahead

The following work needs to be accomplished in order to complete the technical
and legal portions of the nomination dossier:
 Boundareis, inventory and registry of archaeological sites and places with built
heritage.
 Historic investigations
 Assessments of condition and proposals for places with cultural and natural
siginificance
 Regulations for the protection of the archeological and built heritage in all
municipalities involved.
 Regional and urban development plans for all municipalities involved.
 Management plans for the conservation and enhancment of the agave
landscape.
 Cooperative agreements among all concerned parties.
 Awareness campaigns within the local communities.
 Other.

Governmental and Civil Society Participation

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The above work, to be completed before the nomination can take place, will only
be possible through the participation of public authorities and civil society
stakeholders and those interested in the conservation of this important heritage:
 Federal Agencies: INAH, Tourism Secretariat, SARH, SEDESOL.
 Sate Agencies: Executive, Secretaria de Cultura, SetuJal, SEDEUR, SEDER.
 Municipal Agencies: City Halls of Tequila, Magdalena, Arenal, Amatitán,
Teuchitlán, Tala, Ahualulco, A. Escobedo and Etzatlán
 Industry Organizations: Agave plantation owners, Tequilera producers,
Industrial interests, etc.
 Civil Society: ICOMOS, Universities, Research Centers, Local oraganizations,
etc.
 The local community of the areas to be included in the nomination.

Window of Opportunity and Viability of this Nomination

The windows of opportunity for any nomination from Mexico are becoming
increasingly more limited due to our over-representation under certain heritage
categories. Only those categories which are less well represented in the World
Heritage List will have a chance. Such is the case of Cultural Landscapes, what is
proposed herein. It is an extraordinary example of adaptation and wise use of the
natural environment.

Guadalajara, December 2003.