Tequila and its Goddess "Mayahuel"

Sunday August 2nd, 2009

This weekend was rather busy so I won’t keep you readers long since tomorrow is Monday again and a long week lies ahead.

Yesterday was a very exciting day as I was hired by the CRT Consejo Regulador del Tequila to work as an interpreter for a group of foreigners representing a bank based in Washington D. C. The CRT is in charge of making sure all the tequila distilleries in the industry meet the requirements and standards when exporting their product.

When I was living in California I only knew of two Tequila brands; Jose Cuervo and Cazadores, I was unaware that there are more than one thousand brands out in the market. And of course, much less was I unaware of this magical drink’s origin.
Some of you may have heard different versions of the story and some of you may have not so I’ll share my own based on what I’ve learned.
For those of you who haven’t, I’ll take you back to the pre-Hispanic era when the natives of a small town called “La Galicia” now better known as “Tequila” about 65 kilometers away from Guadalajara started growing “agave,” the plant from which juice is extracted to make Tequila now known world wide.
According to a myth, agave first originated from la “Diosa Mayahuel” The Goddess of Tequila.
Mayahuel was a beautiful young woman (one of many stars) living in the sky with her cruel grandmother – “tzintzimitl”, a group of stars whose job was to prevent the sun from rising.
Unfortunately Mayahuel fell in love with Quetzalcoatl (God’s messenger to illuminate humankind) so she ran away with him and came to earth to conclude her affair on a tree deceiving her grandmother and the other stars.
When she was discovered, her grandmother sent the “tzitzimime” to kill them.
Quetzalcóatl was fortunate enough to escape but Mayahuel was burned by the star’s fire and died so Quetzalcóatl saddened and defeated by her love’s death picked up her remains and buried her under the tree where they lived a rather brief romance. Shortly after, the first “agave” plant sprouted on top of her grave and since then the natives of the land extracted a juice called “pulque” from this plant and used it as an offering to the Gods.

Other drinks like “Mezcal” and “Pulque” also derive from the agave but they’re made in other states of Mexico.Tequila is mainly made in Tequila Jalisco and
the word “Tequila” comes from the náhuatl origin meaning "Lugar de Tributos,” a place to pay tribute to the Gods.
Nowadays Tequila and its surrounding areas; Teuchitlan, Amatitan, El Arenal and Magdalena are a few of tourists' favorites places to visit.

Gina Roman



Reflexiones

"The more I think, the more amazed I get and realize how much knowledge I lack of my own culture. As I manifest my thoughts on paper, I watch as my fingers grip, staring at the pen moving upon the paper-...I am amazed as I observe, the way the ink creates a word, the way the word creates a meaning and the way the meaning creates a purpose and the way the purpose creates an action ...and how the Action creates a Destiny." Not long ago, I sat down and pondered on what my purpose in this life was and what destiny holds for me. How God allows all the pieces in the puzzle to come together in each human being's life. A long time went by before I learned the reason behind my being here until a few months ago, all I was aware of was that I had a strong desire to learn more and do something with the knowledge I'd gain from living in Guadalajara. I knew all along that I came here for a reason, I just had to dig that reason from the rubble in my mind and heart since it was buried deep down. When I chatted with Shayne (my blog partner) I realized that we shared the same thoughts, same desires, to help people who come visit or live here, even help the natives. Why not teach everyone who wants to learn; students, retirees, tourists and the entire world about what Guadalajara has to offer? Why not tell them about our own experiences? about the food and culture? Why not tell them that many times things will not necessarily be what they had expected? Why not tell them to learn to appreciate each and every aspect of it? Why not walk them through the insightful experience of living here? Why not teach them to change their mindset about the not so "good" experiences?" Why not tell them that they have to bare in mind that living in Mexico is like living in a completely different world? Why not orient them and tell them about volunteer work? How we can change many peoples' lives by spending time with them? Doing this helps me identify and blend in more with my own culture and background. As a Mexican-American I have the advantage of living in two beautiful worlds, in having two different perspectives, in thinking in both languages and more important, to know how magical and beautiful it is to appreciate both sides of the coin. Earlier this week I visited "Acortar Distancias" http://www.acortardistancias.org/ It is an organization supported by the government which was created about 11 years ago. It was built in one of many extremely low-income areas in the outskirts of the city. The purpose of it is to get young adults and children out of the streets and teach them to use their time productively. All of these children come from illiterate parents who have to work long hours for menial salaries leaving them without any time to spend with their children and much less to educate them. One of the many wonders of this organization is that they support the mothers/women to join their children by providing childcare so they don't make up any excuses to not attend. Having been involved in charity work for many years, I know for a fact that many people visit all those unfortunate countries to do volunteer work so I encourage everyone to visit "Acortar Distancias" and make a difference in peoples' lives. Acortar Distancias among many other reasons is what makes me want to be in Guadalajara because it is such an enriching experience. God bless!