Agave as a Source of Food and Fiber Among Southwest Indigenous Peoples

From Colonial times through the present, agave cultivated in Mexico has furnished the raw materials for the alcoholic beverages tequila, mescal, and pulque, and a wide array of fiber products. However, these industries based on agricultural production in post-contact times represent only a fraction of the past and present uses of this plant by indigenous peoples over a broad area from Central America to the southwestern United States. Both wild and cultivated agave has been utilized for food, fiber, fuel, medicine, construction materials, and a host of crafts.

Figure 1.2.1  Bottle of tequila with agave plant.

Figure 1.2.2  Otomi house made of maguey.

Figure 1.2.3  Agave bags from Mexico.

Figure 1.2.4  Nahua Sandles (© Arizona State Museum).

At harvest, the agave's tough, spiny leaves are cut off near the base to make transport easier. Prehistoric and ethnographic Southwestern implements of tabular stone, often called “knives” because of their thin, flat shape, were used for this task. The rounded basal portion of the plant, resembling a pineapple, is then baked for two days or more in an earth-covered pit filled with live embers and rocks that retain heat. Cooking converts the stored carbohydrates to sugar, producing a nutritious and sweet food that can be eaten at once or prepared for extended storage. Sheets of the baked and punded flesh are typically dried on mats or brush and later rehydrated for eating.

Figure 1.2.5  Otomi man cutting off agave leaves.

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