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Menuez Pictures: Heaven, Earth, Tequila

Mariachis, Guadalajara, Mexico.

Mariachis, Guadalajara, Mexico.

book cover Blue agave field, near the town of Tequila, Mexico. Tequileros head out to harvest agave at dawn. Workers roast a mid morning snack of beans and tortillas over open fires. Workers called "tequileros" harvest mature agave, Amatitán, Mexico. The tradtional method allows for the agave "piña" to grow for around 8 years. The piña will weigh up to 300 pounds and over this long growth cycle absorb specific flavors from the soil in which it is grown. After uprooting the heavy agave heart or "piña" the workers burn some of the long spiky leaves. At the distillery workers wear steel hats to support the heavy piñas as they haul them to be chopped, roasted and crushed. Workers chop agaves in half before roasting to soften them for crushing. After the agave is crushed the juices run through pipes into special tanks where men climb in and pull out the "must" or excess fibers. There is a naturally occurring yeast on skin that starts the fermentation process so the men work naked, stirring the must with their arms and legs. The technique has been handed down over centuries and was adopted by the Spaniards from the local indians in the 1500's when they combined brandy making techniques to the local fermantation of agave to produce what became known as Tequila. With demand outstripping production, and the purchase of most of the large tequila companies by foreign distributors this ancient method is no longer used. At the Hacienda San Jose del Refugio, in Amatitån, near Tequila, Mexico. Tourists now ride the "Tequila Train" to visit this 150 year old landmark where Herradura tequila is still made. A worker at the Hacienda San Jose del Refugio. Mother & Daughter, Guadalajara, Mexico. A political science student in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mariachi and folkloric dancers entertain visitors to Hacienda San Jose del Refugio. Calle José Cuervo, Tequila, Mexico, before a fiesta. Tequila, Mexico. The bullfighter "El Conde" prepares himself before a bullfight, Guadalajara, Mexico. An elderly woman walks on her knees through a church to pray in Tequila, Mexico. Catedral de Guadalajara. Folkloric dancers, near Tequila, Mexico. Mariachis, Guadalajara, Mexico. Tequila, Mexico. Police cadets, Tequila, Mexico. The correct and traditional way to drink tequila is sipping it slowly in a brandy snifter. El Bar Maestranza, Guadalajara, Mexico. El Bar Maestranza, Guadalajara, Mexico. El Bar Maestranza, Guadalajara, Mexico. El Bar Maestranza, Guadalajara, Mexico. El Dia de La Virgen de Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico. El Dia de La Virgen de Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico.