How the Gringos Stole Tequila

Two thousand years before tequila and mezcal, there was pulque, the sacred Aztec beverage made from fermented agave sap and revered as a gift from the gods. During the Spanish conquest, the Jesuits greatly expanded its production on large estates, commercialized it, and taxed it. This foreshadowed what would happen with tequila, originally known as mezcal, a drink made by and for indigenous communities that became the domain of grand colonial families and, eventually, multinational corporations.

Author Chantal Martineau traces the social history of the spirit’s evolution, the preservation of traditional production methods, and issues surrounding the sustainability of the limited resource that is agave. Her book How the Gringos Stole Tequila: The Modern Age of Mexico’s Most Traditional Spirit (Chicago Review Press 2015) is the result of years of research on both sides of the border, visits with distillers and agave farmers in Mexico and interviews with leading experts and academics.

The Mexican Cultural Institute is a non-profit organization committed to generating awareness and promoting the richness, dynamism and diversity of Mexican arts and culture in New York. https://www.mciny.org/

Tequila and mezcal samples will be passed during the talk, and the lecture will be followed by a reception featuring traditional accompaniments such as carnitas. You must be 21 years old, with identification, to sample the tequila.