Hierarchies of alcohol – pulque and beer in Mexican society (c. 1500 to 1940)

While Mexico today is often characterised as ‘tequila country’, the most important alcoholic beverage both during the pre-colonial and the Spanish era was pulque, the fermented sap of the agave plant. In addition to holding ritual significance, pulque served a pragmatic purpose: it is nutritious, can replace food and water, and features high microbial diversity. This paper explores how – under colonial rule – pulque was characterized as ‘low-class’, but also became an important revenue source. While it was discursively linked to problems regarding public hygiene or ‘pagan’ religions, for many Mexicans pulque was irreplaceable. During the 1700s, a veritable pulque boom saw both enormous investments and state revenues related to this beverage. Political turmoil resulting in Mexico’s independence led to a decrease in production and consumption of pulque, before the second half of the nineteenth century witnessed a return to widespread popularity; this was closely linked to improved infrastructure, especially railroads that could transport the rapidly spoiling beverage to customers living further away from production areas. During the authoritarian rule of Porfirio Díaz (1876 to 1911), pulque continued to dominate the alcohol market, but beer consumption sharply increased. Domestic cerveza production was supported through strict tariff policies as well as the integration of foreign know-how and capital. From the late 1800s onwards, discourses on ‘progress’ and national identity often focused on consumption patterns and lifestyles, with pulque being singled out as an archaic menace to society. Beer, on the other hand, became the epitome of a ‘modern’ Mexico – especially in the decades following the revolution (1910/1911).