Long before human beings existed in Mesoamerica, maguey was already there. Centuries later, the first peoples didn’t just adopt it: they understood it. They domesticated it and made it part of their daily lives. From this plant —mezcal in Chichimeco, metl in Náhuatl, dóob in Zapotec— they built shelter, made clothing, created tools, and found food, medicine, and drink. It is no coincidence that its Latin name, Agave, means “plant of wonders.”
And it is. Few plants have its capacity for adaptation. It exists across different latitudes of the world and has a rare quality: it adjusts its size, shape, and behavior depending on its environment. It’s not magic, it’s biological intelligence.
Mexico holds the greatest diversity of agaves on the planet. More than 200 species have been recorded, a little over 40 of which contain the sugars necessary to produce alcoholic beverages. Oaxaca and Puebla are the most important living reservoirs of maguey diversity in Mexico. What exists there is not just an industry, it is a unique ecosystem.
In the last decade, the mezcal boom triggered the massive planting of agave: the “green gold.” What seemed like an economic opportunity turned, in many cases, into short-term, extractive practices. Large extensions of land have been taken over by monocultures, reducing the diversity that sustains the balance of the soil, insects, and the system as a whole. In the surroundings of the city of Matatlán, where there used to be corn, now you only see maguey; where there were once imposing trees, now you see tarps used for shade.
Mezcal production is putting pressure on resources in ways that can no longer be ignored. In many plantations, the cutting of trees to feed ovens has not been accompanied by clear reforestation plans. Vinazas —toxic residues from distillation— continue to be discharged without proper treatment, seeping into soils and aquifers and degrading the land. This is not an exception: it is a widespread practice that is already affecting entire ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
So, where is the romantic narrative, la neta?
Maguey remains a noble plant. The problem is not the plant; it’s how we are using it.
Today, on Mother Earth Day, we ask the everyday consumer:
Stop buying pretty bottles without asking important questions: Who owns the brand? How much do they produce? What happens to their waste? How much wild agave do they use and at what age do they harvest it? Do they reforest? Who is the maestro mezcalero? Do they owe money to their suppliers and employees? Today, almost everything can be found in a few clicks.
Choosing well is not about paying more: it is about understanding what you are drinking, because when you buy poorly, it is always the most vulnerable who pay the cost. A cheap mezcal is cheap in every sense.
Producers must plant with diversity, not haste. Care for the land that makes mezcal possible. Treat waste as part of the process, with responsibility. The craft is also measured by what you leave behind after producing. Respecting the environment is not optional; it is the foundation for this to exist for our children and grandchildren.
To sellers, importers, distributors, bartenders, and retailers: choose carefully what you represent. What reaches the consumer passes through you, and today that consumer also decides. When the market fills with poorly made, poorly told, or poorly paid product, it is not accidental: it is the result of accumulated bad decisions. A cheap mezcal is a cheap mezcal in every sense.
And to investors… a simple note: ya hay demasiados conejos para tan pocas chichis. Mezcal is not a cheap formula, nor a magical one, nor a shortcut to early retirement. Without understanding the field, without patience, and with a lack of integrity, this does not scale. The Clooney effect is pure illusion. Integrity is shown in how it is produced and how it is sold.
Maguey has been doing its part for centuries.
We have not.
Some projects deserve a deeper conversation.
If this is your case, let’s continue via DM.
If you’d like to learn more about my work, I’ve left a link in the first comment.
Originally written in Spanish; translated into English with digital assistance.
MEZCALEANDO 