Pulqueria
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Pulqueria_en_tacubaya.jpg/290px-Pulqueria_en_tacubaya.jpg)
Pulquerías (or pulcherías) are a type of
Pulque production
Pulque is a milky, foamy, alcoholic beverage native to central Mexico and made from fermented
Pulque before the Spanish conquest
Pulque has been drunk in the lands of central Mexico and other parts of
Pulque has a place in some Aztec legends. As one myth goes, the god Quetzalcoatl was tricked into getting intoxicated by drinking pulque and had sexual relations with a celibate priestess (in other tellings, it was his sister, the goddess Quetzalpetlatl). Embarrassed, Quetzalcoatl banished himself to the sea, saying he would return one day to get his revenge. The year he was said to return coincided with the year Hernán Cortés landed on the shores of Mexico in 1519. The Mural of the Drinkers found in the Great Pyramid of Cholula also depicts pulque drinking during the time of the Aztecs.[6] The mural "portrays a feasting scene with figures wearing elaborate turbans and masks, drinking pulque and performing other ritual activities. It has been suggested that the scene portrays pulque deities."[6]
Pulque in colonial Mexico: the first pulquerias
The Spanish conquest of Mexico and the Aztec people changed every aspect of the native population's lives. The Spanish attempted to modernize and develop Mexico, focusing much of their attention on what would become
By the 1550s the number of stands had more than doubled. The addition of seats and live music became a permanent fixture.
However, for the elite upper classes, the government, and the Church, the popularity of the pulqueria was seen as a "threat to the social order and the status quo" of the cities.[9] For these groups of higher social standing, pulquerias represented laziness, animalistic sexuality, and general degenerative behavior preventing societal progress. The Spanish authorities enacted new rules and regulations in the late 1600s to limit the number of pulquerias, to allow fewer and smaller storage rooms for extra pulque, and to completely eliminate seating.[10] But these restrictions did not do much to reduce their popularity, and their patrons continued to frequent them. Pulquerias and what they represented continued to be a major source of contention between the Spanish ruling class and the urban masses throughout the Bourbon period until Mexico gained independence in 1821.
Pulquerias after independence
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The beginning of modern Mexico saw a decrease in the regulations imposed on pulquerias. This was because of the lack of strong central government in the newly independent state, as well as the political and economic advantages that local governors saw in this well-established institution.
The names of pulquerias are considered to be important for their identity and are often representative of contemporary popular culture in Mexico. They not only told the customers what to expect from that particular establishment, but also made references to popular literature, the theater, as well as international figures or events. Opera titles such as
Daytime in the pulqueria
The day's delivery of pigskin sacks of pulque in carts pulled by donkeys or mules arrive at the pulquerias by eight or nine in the morning.[18] The workers cleaned the pulqueria and then put the newly bought drink into its respective barrels. Then the cooks would start preparing the different dishes customers would order later that day, including enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos, tostados, sopes, mole poblano, chalupas, and others.[19] Starting around ten, the customers began to shuffle in. The first, arriving from around ten to eleven, were usually natives coming in from outside the city. After they had sold their fruits and vegetables in the morning they would come in to enjoy some food and pulque.[20] "After noon, chinas [girls wearing the traditional dress], charros, artisans, and many other invaded."[21] Throughout the day and into the evening the pulquerias served all members of society: "Crowds of maids, servants, butchers, artisans, vendors, kids, thieves, guards, prostitutes, and honorable members of the 'gente decente' appeared in dappled skin colors and clothing styles."[21] Customers would eat, drink, dance, sing, gamble, fight, perhaps take part in a little crime, and do everything imaginable. One could see people from all walks of life when entering a pulqueria. The day usually ended in the pulqueria sometime after sunset.[22] Customers gradually filtered out to go home or to other jobs. Some were so drunk that they slept in the entryway or in a nearby street.
Pulquerias and the liberal reform during the Porfiriato (1876–1911)
Porfirio Díaz's regime as leader of Mexico was from 1876 to 1911 and its main goal was to bring order and progress to the country.[23] In particular, Díaz wanted to bring Mexico into the industrial world and its people to be productive, upstanding members of society. Vices such as drunkenness, laziness, and promiscuity were seen as retarding the beneficial progress of the city and the nation. Much like the Spanish authority, the Porfirian government and elites saw pulquerias a main source of such vices. So around the turn of the twentieth century there was an increase in the number of reforms and regulations centered on limiting the distribution of pulque, and supervising the use and role of pulquerias. These had to be licensed and located at least 60 m (200 ft) apart. Opening hours were restricted to between 6.00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., thus forcing them to close before most workers had left their jobs.[24] There were also many other restrictions on the location of pulquerias. Certain areas of the city, in particular those surrounding the Alameda central park, were forbidden to pulquerias because the Mexican authority did not want the beauty of this area spoiled by what they considered to be the undesirable characteristics associated with pulquerias. Overall, the Porfirian reforms enacted to directly limit the influence of pulquerias during the Porfiriato did not do much to reduce their popularity in Mexico City and the rest of the country.[25] The Porfiriato did, however, encourage more modern attitudes in Mexico which indirectly and over time led to the diminished popularity of pulquerias.
Decline
By the mid 1900s, after Mexico started to industrialize and modernize, the consumption of pulque and the popularity of pulquerias had greatly declined. This is directly related to the increase in production and popularity of beer in Mexico.[25] As factories established themselves and migrant workers started to come into Mexico, the beer industry greatly expand and beer soon replaced pulque as the alcoholic drink of choice. The popularity of pulquerias declined as they were seen as a thing of the past. By the 1930s, there was a steep reduction in the number of pulquerias in Mexico City, and today there are very few of them left.[25]
Pulquerias today
The very few pulquerias now found in Mexico City[25] are there more for nostalgic reasons than anything else, a reminder of the Mexican past for the small group of people who enjoy the old style Mexican tavern. Today, pulquerias are more likely to be described as places where young hipsters like to be seen.[26] "Pulqueria owners estimate that only 100 such places are left in Mexico."[26]
References
- ^ a b "What Is Pulque?" Del Maguey. N.p., n.d. 20 December 2013.
- ^ Maria Aurea Toxqui Garay. "El Recreo de los Amigos." Mexico City's Pulquerias during the Liberal Republic (1856–1911)
- ^ "The Amazing Maguey Plant—Aqui es Texcoco". 9 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Garay (2011)
- ^ "Mexico News Network." Taste Mexico and Drink Pulque. N.p., n.d. 20 Dec 2013.
- ^ a b "The Origin of Pulque." About.com: Archaeology. N.p., n.d. 20 Dec 2013.
- ^ Garay (2011), pp. 60–61
- ^ Garay (2011), pp. 57–58
- ^ Garay (2011), p. 62
- ^ Garay (2011), p. 63
- ^ a b Garay (2011), pp. 94–95
- ^ Garay (2011), p. 197
- ^ Garay (2011), pp. 95–97
- ^ Garay (2011), p. 97
- ^ Garay (2011), p. 98
- ^ Garza (2007), p. 24
- ^ a b Garay (2011), p. 96
- ^ Garay (2011), p. 101
- ^ Garay (2011), pp. 103–104
- ^ Garay (2011), pp. 109–110
- ^ a b Garay (2011), p. 110
- ^ Garay (2011), p. 128
- ^ "Diaz and the Porfiriato 1876–1910." Mexican History. N.p., n.d. 20 Dec 2013.
- ^ Garza (2007), p. 27
- ^ a b c d Garay (2011), p. 318
- ^ a b Okeowo, Alexis. "Pulquerias in Mexico City." NY Times. N.p., n.d. 20 December 2013.
Bibliography
- Garay, Maria Aurea Toxqui (2011). El Recreo de los Amigos: Mexico City's Pulquerias during the Liberal Republic (1856–1911). UMI Dissertation Publishing. ISBN 978-1243970480.
- Garza, James Alex (2007). The Imagined Underworld: Sex, Crime, and Vice in Porfirian Mexico City. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska. ISBN 978-0-8032-2215-1.