Abstract

CAMACHO-VERA, Joaquín Huitzilihuitl; VARGAS-CANALES, Juan Manuel  and  DURAN-FERMAN, Pedro. VICISSITUDES OF MEZCAL PRODUCTION IN THE MIAHUATECA REGION OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS OF OAXACA. LiminaR [online]. 2021, vol.19, n.1, pp.183-194.  Epub Mar 02, 2021. ISSN 2007-8900.  https://doi.org/10.29043/liminar.v19i1.794.

Mezcal, like all artisan products linked to a territory, takes on properties related to what has been termed terroir. The history of the drink, its properties, its technological processes, its flavors, and its uses are the history of the territory and the communities where mezcal is produced. This paper describes the mezcal production system in the Southern Highlands region of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, and analyzes the transformations attributable to the domestic and international boom in demand. Currently, the Miahuateco productive system is based on territorial subsystems that make use of the social, cultural, and natural resources of the different communities in the region. In these subsystems, production units are managed by rural peasant families. Arguably, the increase in prices paid to the producer in recent years may help assure that artisanal production is continued from one generation to the next.

Keywords : mezcal; designation of origin; short trade channels; peasant family production; artisanal production.