100% Agave Tequila!

Tequila! In the USA, it's a name synonymous with a type of hard liquor. But, did you know that Tequila is also the name of a town in Mexico? In fact, there are 22 different tequila companies in the town of Tequila. The name "tequila" can only be used on the liquor produced from the blue agave plant in a only a couple states in Mexico. The state that produces the most is Jalisco, where the town of Tequila is located. Today, we were going to explore two tequila companies in Tequila: 3 Mujeres and La Cofradia.

Agave field at 3 Mujeres

What makes 3 Mujeres special? It is all organic. 3 Mujeres organically grows it's own agave plants, which take 7-12 years to mature. It's tempting to go non-organic to speed up the process (e.g. Sauza injects it's agave plants with growth hormone so that they mature in only three years).

Roasted agave -- it's sweet!

When we first arrived at 3 Mujeres, we were treated to snacks of roasted agave. Like sugar cane, it's to be chewed and sucked on but not swallowed. These pieces of agave were surprisingly sweet!

Jimador supervising tourist chopping agave leaves

Next, the jimador, a person who harvests agave, let us try chopping the leaves from an uprooted agave plant. Originally, the natives had used the leaves and spines of the agave plant for food, fibers and as roofs. However, today only the heart of the agave is used to make tequila.

3 Mujeres steam cooks the agave hearts for 48 hours in these large ovens. There are other ways to speed up the process. For example, some distilleries roast the agave, which can shorten the processing time to 8-10 hours.

Machine to juice agave

Truck full of agave fiber

Then, the agave hearts are cooled for 10 hours before being run through the above contraption. This machine strains out the juice. The fibers are dumped into a waiting truck and used as fertilizer on the fields.

3 Mujeres Tequilas. From left to right:
Extra Anejo, Anejo, Reposado, Blanco

Finally, the agave juice is distilled in waiting vats. Did you know that all tequila starts from the same agave juice? The only difference is how long each matures in oak barrels. Tequila Blanco (usually clear) is ready almost immediately. 3 Mujeres Reposado Tequila (slightly tinted) is aged for 10 months in oak barrels. Anejo and Extra Anejo Tequilas are matured for years.

Tequila barrel transportation in Tequila

After tasting these four types of tequila, we got back on the bus for a sight seeing tour into the town of Tequila. We couldn't stop in Tequila without stopping by Jose Cuervo's large store. Did you know that they also manufacture and sell Cholula, the hot sauce?

Jose Cuervo

Jose Cuervo is a pure tequila distillery. It doesn't grow any of it's own agave. Instead, it purchases agave from producers. Therefore, only a small percentage, family reserve, is made completely traditionally and organically. However, Jose Cuervo is the oldest tequila manufacturer still in business. Jose Cuervo received official distillery license from the Spanish government in 1795!

Specialized Jose Cuervo Family Reserve box designs

Don't worry, we did stop and eat. We had some ice cream. And, something from a bag of Tostitos (we're not really sure what this is):

Tostitos snack

Plus, there was a stop at a fancy restaurant with a basic buffet and a live mariachi band. Really, though, we were just killing time until we could get to the next tequila farm, La Cofradia.

La Cofradia is a relatively recent entrant into the tequila business. It was established in 1990 by Carlos Hernandez Hernandez. He had some interesting innovations for the tequila business, including building his cellar around the trees instead of cutting them down. In this way, his cellar is cooled by the trees' shade. It's only other cooling comes from strategically placed windows.

Outside La Cofradia Cellar.
Tree branches poke through roof.

Inside La Cofradia Cellar.
Tree growing inside.

La Cofradia has a small but interesting museum on-site that talks about the history of the company as well as the history of tequila. The quick synopsis of tequila:
1. Our guide told us that the word tequila comes from a Nahautl word for the obsidian rock from the now dormant Tequila Volcano. "Tequila" basically meant the people who cut things with obsidian rock (e.g. agave harvesters)
2. The native Nahautl were producing a fermented agave drink called "pulque".
3. The Spaniards, running out of brandy, were searching for a local alternative.
4. The Spanish government enjoyed significant income from the taxes levied on tequila (originally called mezcal wine).
5. Every once in awhile there was a ban on all tequila by the government.
6. But, tequila is still around and becoming even more popular today!

La Cofradia tequila brands

Some tour options of Tequila:
Tequila Express (train) - 1200 pesos (~$100 USD) - http://reservaciones.tequilaexpress.com.mx/
Jose Cuervo Express (train) - 1350-1530 pesos (~$110-$130) - http://www.josecuervoexpress.com/es/compra/reserva-tu-experiencia.html
Tequila Grande tour (bus) - 450-750 pesos (~$40-$65) - http://www.tequilagrandtour.mx/

Buses and museums

Bus 51C heading downtown

How do you travel around a city with hundreds of buses but a limited website (http://www.rutasjalisco.gob.mx/)? A city where Google maps doesn't even offer public transportation directions? And, there's no printed bus schedules? You ask a lot of people for directions. At only 6 pesos per ride (~$0.50), the buses are an economical way to travel around Guadalajara. Plus, buses run frequently. So, I boldly walked up to the juice seller on the corner and asked if he knew which bus to take to downtown and where the stop was located. He directed me to another corner to wait for bus 51C. Bus 51C passed by within five minutes. The driver confirmed he was heading downtown; and, we were on our bumpy way. [Just a note, bus drivers do not provide change. Make sure to have exactly 6 pesos to pay.] We easily arrived at the Cathedral. It was reassuring, though, to follow along on Google Maps on my phone!

Fresh fruit with chili powder, salt and lime. Yum!

To celebrate the successful bus ride, I rewarded myself with a delicious fruit cup (15 pesos ~$1.25). In the cup were papaya, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, jicama, orange and even cucumber. The vendor sprinkled chili powder and salt over the top before squeezing a lime over it all. What a great breakfast!

Guadalajara Cathedral

Next stop, the Cathedral. On one side is a small chapel with a faded painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe. At the chapel, here is a lot of information about the painting, including how there is a reflection of a face in the Virgin's eye. However, the only online information that I can find is for a similar painting in Mexico City: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe. The Cathedral is still in use today. I walked in during the end of 12 noon mass. It's a beautiful building. Due to earthquakes over the past 300 years, the cathedral boasts a variety of different architectural styles from each repair.

Overlooking Plaza de la Constitucion, aka Plaza de Armas

Behind the Cathedral is the Museum of Sacred Art. While we weren't allowed to take photos inside the museum, we were allowed to take photos from the balcony overlooking Constitution Plaza. The paintings in the museum are all from artists that lived and/or were born in Mexico. Francisco de Leon was one such artist during the 17th century. Miguel Cabrera was a painter during the early 18th century. Two other 17th-18th century painters showcased here are Juan Correa and Jose de Ibarra. On the second floor, there is a special exhibition (April 1 - July 5) of the miracle paintings of Geronimo de Leon. All of these paintings revolve around The Lord of the Rays, a wooden statue of the crucifixion. They were painted from 1885-1915. For anyone interested in religious art, this museum is worth the 20 pesos entrance (~$1.75).

If you hadn't guessed, by now I was starving. This necessitated a stop for mini donuts. Donitas! Only 22 pesos. Telcel 3G isn't working quite as well as I had hoped. I also needed to regroup with WiFi and see what other museums I could visit downtown. A quick cappuccino at La Flor de Cordoba along the plaza was just the thing. Plus, it had air conditioning.

Next stop, the National Institute of Anthropology and History's Regional Museum in Guadalajara. The ticket says 46 pesos; but, the sign (and the charge) are actually 48 pesos (~$4). For only another 45 pesos, you're allowed to take photos in the museum. But, how could I not take a photo of this woolly mammoth skeleton? Unfortunately, maybe I should have paid for the photography rights, since there doesn't seem to be a website with photos. There is such a variety of exhibits here, from Tarascon culture to Tiro Tombs to the history of Guadalajara to the Wixarika people that follow their traditions still today. There is a special exhibit on the second floor, The Divine Proportion. It contains pieces by the contemporary Italian artists Franco Maria Ricci and Massimo Listri. Listri's photos of architecture are beautiful and sometimes haunting.

Mural of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

One final stop on my self-guided tour today was the Government Palace. I'd seen the murals of Hidalgo by Jose Clemente Orozco on a previous visit. The second viewing was just as awe inspiring. There are two murals, one over the staircase leading from the ground floor to first floor. The second is inside the former Congress. My camera doesn't do either mural justice. The portion of the Government Palace that I hadn't seen before was the museum. It's small and free. There is a room for the original inhabitants of Mexico, another with information on colonial times and finally, a room dedicated to agave and tequila. (Where I managed to get in trouble for taking a photo with the flash on. It was worth it. Check out all that tequila!)

Tequila in the Agave Room in the Government Palace Museum