Harvesting agave
Mexico’s agave spirit mezcal is still produced much as it has been for generations, with the work guided by knowledge passed down within Indigenous families, the Associated Press reported. In many villages in Oaxaca — Mexico’s largest mezcal-producing state — the spirit has long been used as a home remedy and offered as a gesture of hospitality, appearing at weddings, funerals and community celebrations.
The process begins in the fields. Workers known as jimadores cut mature agave, locally known as maguey, by hand, often on steep hillsides, using machetes and sharp blades to remove the spiny leaves and expose the agave core, sometimes referred to as the “pineapple.” The harvested plants are then carried to distilleries.
The report described the work as physically demanding and sometimes dangerous. The terrain can be uneven and remote, and the agave’s pointed spines can injure workers. It also said about 40 species of agave can be used to make mezcal out of roughly 200 that exist. Espadín was described as the most common option because it matures faster than many wild varieties and is often cultivated in monoculture.
Cooking the agave
After harvesting, the agave is cooked in pits lined with hot stones and covered with soil. Firewood heats the stones underneath, and the agave roasts for several days. The report said the slow cooking gives mezcal its distinctive smoky flavor.
The AP story also highlighted how people in Oaxaca describe their roles and the craft’s changing workforce. Elena Aragón Hernández, from Santa Maria Zoquitlán, was described as a “mezcal master” for her expertise, and she said: “Since I was a little girl, I spent days helping my father at the distillery,” adding, “Women have always been part of the process and we are now demanding our place in this industry.”
Crushing the agave
Once cooked, the agave is crushed beneath a massive circular stone called a tahona. In many towns, a horse pulls the stone in circles, grinding the agave into a fibrous mash. The AP report noted that some producers have begun using mechanical shredders to speed up the work, while others argue that the tahona breaks fibers differently and produces a flavor machines cannot replicate.
Luis Cruz Velasco, who learned the craft from his family in San Luis del Rio, told the AP: “When I grew up, I realized making mezcal was much harder and physical than I thought.” He also said, “We spend all day at the palenque working from sunrise to sunset, Monday to Sunday.”
Fermentation and water use
The crushed agave is moved into open wooden vats, where workers mix it with water by hand. The AP report said fermentation can take days or weeks depending on temperature and humidity.
It also said mezcal production requires significant amounts of water and firewood. Some producers have begun buying certified wood, installing systems to cool and reuse water, and using biodigesters to treat waste from fermentation and distillation.
Armando Martínez Ruiz, a producer from Soledad Salinas, said his distillery uses roughly 30,000 liters of water and more than 15 tons of firewood each month to produce about 5,000 liters of mezcal.
Distillation, tasting and visitors in Oaxaca
The fermented mash is distilled in small batches in copper stills, a method commonly known as artisanal mezcal. The report said a smaller number of producers continue to distill in clay pots, known as ancestral mezcal, described as a slower and older technique.
According to the AP, mezcal undergoes two rounds of distillation before it is ready for drinking. The spirit is measured by sight, smell and taste rather than tools, shaped as much by tradition as by the land where it is made.
The report said thousands of visitors travel to Oaxaca each year to taste the spirit at local bars called mezcalerias. It added that mezcal is typically sipped slowly rather than taken as a shot, letting drinkers experience differences between its many varieties.