Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-28
''PULQUE" DRINKING
AND INDIAN LEGENDS

A BOUT the year 1912 when Tepan-
n catlzin became chief of the Toll
tees of Mexico-the eighth among
those who held that office-there came to
visit him prominent man named Papant-
Yin. accompanied by his beautiful daugh-
ter Nochitl. The maiden presented TO the
chief jar OF pulque. of which he and his
attendants drank and were pleased with
the effects which followed Xochitl told
Tepancaltzn that the beverage was OBJ
tanned from the maguey plant. from
which a whitsh and sweet juice was ex-
tracted and on fermentation became
pulQue. Tepancaltzin Intoxicated by the
pulque prepared by Papantzin's daughter
and infatuated with her beauty. fell in
love with her and married her. Thus
Aochitl became queen of Tollan, and she
bore Tepancatzin child who was called
MecOnetzn. the son of pulque." name
given him to commemorate the discovery
and invention of the pulque made by his
mother. Xochitl. 1t is said that Tepan-
caltzin and Xochitl were killed in bat
tie when the TotecS were destroyed and
Meconetzn, the last chief never came to
his own.
This is the legend Of the origin Of pull
lue. the drink of Mexican masses as the
scholar Lobato might have told it If he
spoke in English. AS it is. DR.. Walter
Hough of the United States National Mu-
scum, who has just completed a study Of
The beverage from a scientific and eco
nomic point of view, brings it back with
him from Mexico.
Not acquainted with Mexican names.
one would not recognize in the ''maguey
plant mentioned in the legend a giant
brother of the common century plant of
this country. But the century plant in It's
tropical development is accessory before
the fact to the production of this turbfd.
whitish, fermented liquid of a sour-milk
smell, which under the name of "pulque''
draws so many coppers from the pocket
of the Mexican laborer.
The century plant itself, from the point
of view of the ethnoiogist in this region
had very much to do with the welfare and
development of the peoples. 1t is safe to
say that without 1t the great population
and the civilization of the high Mexican
plateaus would have been impossible. In
the beginning 1t not only took the place
that corn did to the northern Indian. but
its fiber wire to the early Mexican. 1t
furnished cord and materials for baskets
Of all sorts. 1t is even now indiSpensa BILE
to the Well-being of the Mexican natives.
Next 20 the palm it has done more toward
civilizing these peoples than any other in
tluence.
With the palm. too it stands alone in
furnishing a drink to mankind. Only two
beverages in the world are obtained by
fermenting the sap of plants. These are
pulque and palm wine.
4
In order to secure the SAP the hearts of
the century plants must be reached. This
Is no easy task, for they grow high above
a mans head. shoot up into blossom al
twenty-five feet. and are fully armed with
sharp prongs and thorns. The attack is
mad" with a machete or a long stout oak
lever and the cone of young leaves In the
center cut off at It's base. After a year a
cup Is gouged from the stump into which
the clear sap accumulates. This juice,
siphoned out and collected in a goat or
pig skin sack. turned into hide vat in
darkened room and fermented becomes
in time the curdled looking liquid passed
over the bar. 1t is barreled and hustled
to the cities on wagons, mules, canal
boats and even by special trains, for 1t
is as perishable as milk. and a fresh sup
ply must be sent out daily
The methods Of farming pulque have
improved with the advance of civiliza-
ton. From the mere tapping in Indian
times of the wild century plants stud
ding the plains the Introduction of mod
ern business methods mas built up the
working of vast plantations called
i,aciendas and the establishment Of the
pulque industry as a vital pursuit Of
the Mexicans. The returns from the
that resident labor is cheap is apparent
in the large buildings of the hacienda
Each of the large plantations is a town
In itself. 1t has a church, school. store
and line of barracks for the laborers, an