History of the Agave Plant
The Maguey is one of the most important plants in Mexican culture. The term refers collectively to the some 200 species of agave that grows in many regions of the country.
The agave plant has a life span of up to 15 years. The sprouting of its flower precedes its final stage of life, reproduction. This sprout grows into a long stalk, up to 15 feet high, carrying the seed pod aloft. As soon as the pod opens, death sets in and its seeds are carried off by the wind, dispersing them throughout the vastness of Mexico, renewing this unique resource.
An Agave Field
The plant has been viewed mystically, being a rare producer of liquid in the desert. As such, it has long been revered. To collect its sweet secretion, the core of the matured plant is opened and its clear sap, known as aguamiel, can be harvested over a six-month season. Some of this "juice" is consumed regularly for its nutritional value—it contains vitamin B and C, as well as proteins and calories—while the rest is left to ferment and produce a mildly alcoholic beverage, pulque. Agave nectar is also a product of this plant's "juice." Agave syrup can be produced by harvesting and processing the entire plant.
The Maguey is at the very heart of Mexican culture and it remains a link to the country's origin. For centuries, the natives of the northern Valley of Mexico have utilized the plant's numerous properties. Some varieties of maguey are medicinal, used, for example, to alleviate backache or abdominal pain. The fiber, the juice, leaves, roots, even the ash from the burned roots, every part of the plant is somehow utilized in the desert areas where it is the only resource of abundance.
The maguey plant also played a significant role in the rituals of ancient cultures. Mexican priests used the thorns of agave in their ceremonies. The peoples who inhabited the high plateau of central Mexico used pulque, the fermented juice, in their rites, to enter the realms of their gods and communicate with them. They also produce mexiote (a paper made of maguey fiber), upon which they painted some of the precious codices that relate their culture's history, mythology and social customs.
Today, the maguey industry has focused primarily on the beverages, including tequila (from blue agave), pulque and several liqueurs. Agave nectar is new and holds significant potential for a region with one bountiful resource, the mighty maguey! The plant with the power to nourish, comfort, supply fuel, building materials and beverages now provides us a wonderful everyday sweetener.
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