Alcohol in Ancient Mexico is a comprehensive survey of all the various sources for native fermented drinks from the Arizona/New Mexico area to Central America. It does not include distilled products such as tequila, or beverages made from sugarcane; both of these were introduced by the Spanish after the conquest. It does, however, include modifications made to pre-Columbian beverages during colonial times.
Bruman, a geographer, organizes the book by geographical regions, which often coincide with a particular plant source. There were no aboriginal alcoholic beverages north of the Arizona/New Mexico area. The fundamental base for alcoholic drinks in Bruman’s study area was the agaves, collectively named mescal. There is coprolitic evidence, dating back thousands of years to show that agave heads were baked and used as food before the onset of agriculture in Mexico. This long familiarity and widespread use led to fermentation of the sugary heads. Mescal...
