[Aztlan] Rebirth for an ancient elixir

[Elaine Day Schele]

MEXICO CITY BUREAU

Saturday, December 15, 2007

 

Rebirth for an ancient elixir

Mexico's pulque, once the drink of Aztec kings, is suddenly hip.

By Jeremy Schwartz

 

MEXICO CITY — Time has not been kind to pulque, a thick, milky alcoholic
drink enjoyed by Aztec kings long before the Spanish arrived but largely
reviled and ridiculed by the modern age.  While Mexico City boasted some
1,500 pulque bars, or pulquerías, before the Mexican Revolution, nearly a
century later that number has dwindled to just a few dozen, leading many to
forecast pulque's extinction. It was an ignominious decline for the
mysterious elixir, which was once far more popular here than beer. 

 

But then something unexpected happened. Pulque became cool. Thanks to
renewed interest from hip, young Mexicans and technological advances, pulque
(pronounced pool-kay) may be headed for a rebirth on both sides of the
border.  For more on the story:
http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/world/12/15/1215pulque.
html

 

Elaine Day Schele

Maya Meetings Volunteer Coordinator

PhD Student

University of Texas 

Latin American Studies

eschele at austin.rr.com