The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1884-10-03
Mexico's FaVorite Beverage.

Mexican Letter to Springfield Repu ol!c,n
Wishing to sec for ourselves Tia,
whole process of pulque making ",
jOurneyed TO the plains of Apam uo
| long since to visit Il maguey hacienda
| The lachiquerO took us in charge
that official who is practical chief -
| both plantation and factory. We
made a rather picturesque caravan n
we sailed forth in pursuit of infOrma,
! ton. First rode the tlachiquero, hi>
bronze skin contrasting well with his
white dress, his immense sOmhrerC
| and leather apron, and the implement
| of his profession dangling from his
belt. Betsey and 1 followed, mounted
| upon dOnkeys SO diminutive that Our
dresses nearly dragged upon the
ground, our beauty enhanced by blue
goggles, which experience has taught
us the value of wearing in this sunny
country. The poems brought up the
rear, each driving Il donkey laden
with pig-skins, into which the aqua
miel was to be poured. The ilachi-
querO tells me that he goes periodical.
ly among his vegetable cows, marking
those which have reached the period
of etllOrescence and are therefore ready
for milking by cutting a cross upon
the tOpmOst leaf. Three times n day
for three months each is milked--at 5
a. M, at a. ia. and again at 3 p. NJ
the poorest yielding at least l55 gallons
before it dies.
We went from plant to plant, watch
ing the process of inserting the gouTi
with the cows horn point and sucking
of the siphOn till the "cows" were all
exhausted, and then our little caravan
took up its line of march for the tina
cal or vathouse. This is an enormous
adobe shed, with earthen floor kept
clean as the deck of a man. of-war
We entered in solemn procession, each
peOn as he passed threshold removing
his sombrero and piOusly calculating
"Alabo a Dios III praise God.0
One side o6the building is occupied by
huge watts of oX-hide, the hairy side 40,
called tinas. III each tina was thick
curd of madre (mOther) puIque, which
performed the office of leaven, and
whose every ancient and fishy smclp
outrivaled far-fameG cologne. Whcr
the pig skins had been carefully OpeJ #.
e6, and inc aqua n;9l vas read? C.r
pouring out, the tlachiuuerO seizcC q
long stake, which is always kept r, ady
for the purpose and made the siJ n OF
the cross in the rotten curls, cS claim
ing devOutly: "Ava Maria purfssi-
ma G'-to which the Indians respond
ed: "Alabad sea Dyos yla So ntissima
Trinidad "-we praise God and the
sacred trinity. What would happen
to the prologue if any of this pious
performance were neglected am I'M
able to state, for never within memory
of the oldest inhabitant lIas it been
omitted or curtailed. After about
three hours fermentation i'll the watts
the liquor is drawn into barrels for the
pulque shops and the flower declled
booths which adOrn all ihe highways
and byways of Mexico
They mix religion with their drinks,
as with every thing else in this Catho-
lie country, in a manner which else
where would be considered somewhat
sacriligiOus Every pulqueria has
picture of the Blessed Virgin or its pa
iron saint hung up above the barrels,
and little shrine with a crucifiX and
burning candles is crowded among the
bottles. The names of these shops are
more religious than appro-
pirate. For instance, one opposite my
is called La Cantina del Mcr-
saloon of mercy; that on the
nearest corner is christened "rbc
True Faith" and little farther down
the street is another dedicated "'Fo the
Mother of God ~ Another rrioices
under the rather ambiguous title Va
mos al Gulfo del Mexico-"Let us go
to the Gulf of Mexico" and scores OF
them are dedicated to Jesus, St. JOS
7ph, st. John, St. Peter, St. Paul, San
!issima Maria and all the other vir.
gins, saints and angels known in the
calendar.