Ceremonial dance A Photograph

Los Mezcaleros documentary photography Serie: In these difficult times in my country I see photography as a kind of social weapon against the constant dehumanization in our fast food society. This is a documentary photographic series of the Mezcal makers from the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Michoacán. Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli, which means “oven-cooked agave”, from metl and ixcalli. Traditionally the word “mezcal” has been used generally in Mexico for all agave spirits . The agave was one of the most sacred plants in pre-Spanish Mexico, and had a privileged position in religious rituals, mythology and the economy. Agaves or magueys are endemic to the Americas and found globally as ornamental plants. More than 70% of mezcal is made in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and Michoacán but is now produced and commercialized throughout Mexico for the national and international market. A saying attributed to Oaxaca regarding the drink is: “Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, también; y si no hay remedio litro y medio” (“For all bad, mezcal, and for all good, as well; and if there is no remedy, liter and a half”). Native fermented drinks from maguey plants, such as pulque, existed before the arrival of the Spanish.