PULQUE AND MEZCAL
Pulque god preparing pulque, codex magliabechiano f85r.
MEZCAL IS A PURIFIED AND CONCENTRATED DISTILLATE OF THE COMPLEX AGAVE, WHICH IS ALSO THE SOURCE OF PULQUE
collecting agave sap for pulque, 1904
Pulque, fermented from the sap of the agave, a plant that was the body of the goddess Mayahuel, had deep ritual/spiritual meaning. Before the Spanish conquest, its psychotropic properties were reserved for spiritual purposes. Warriors drank it before going into battle, human sacrificial victims drank it before lying on an altar and having their living heart cut out. Ordinary folks were forbidden to drink pulque except in ceremonial settings: a person who violated this three times was put to death.
pulque god tezcatzoncatl a pt of pulque & an agave/codex florentinus 1.22
[pulque was] “a god to be revered …, a divine thing, considering its effects and power to intoxicate.” So wrote Diego Durán, a Dominican friar who closely studied indigenous culture immediately following the Spanish conquest
codex mendoza f71r
Young Aztecs put to death for consuming pulque
A large mural dated to ca. 200AD below the pyramid of Cholula represents a gathering at which humans are consuming pulque
turning oneself into a bird from the bebedores mural beneath the pyramid of Cholula
Since the name of the brand is Los Nahuales, let’s notice that something interesting is happening to this human…
….to this one…
….and to these two.
The Aztecs often enhanced the psychotropic properties of pulque with datura, toad venom, mushrooms, and so on, but for now let’s simply acknowledge that mezcal contains the same esters and compounds as pulque. That good mezcal induces awareness, clarity of Mind, and a propensity to have interesting thoughts, is well-known. The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants, s. v. agave: “inebriation remains clearer”. So why not look inside when this is going on?