¡Tequila! - Distilling the Spirit of Mexico

by Marie Sarita Gaytán

La expansión tequilera y las mujeres en la industria: del símbolo al testimonio.

August 22, 2010 / / Comments Off on La expansión tequilera y las mujeres en la industria: del símbolo al testimonio.

Sociedades Rurales, Producción y Medio Ambiente v.9, n.18: 167-195.
(co-authored with Dr. Ana Valenzuela-Zapata)

Tequila Market Growth and Women in the Industry: From Representations to Representatives. Rural Societies, Production, and the  Environment

La industria del tequila tiene alto significado en la economía jalisciense, por su región de origen desde el siglo XVII y en las actividades de producción, envasado, verificación, turismo y oficinas de representación comercial que se concentran en el estado, ocupando el 70% del empleo y el 97% de la producción en la rama de bebidas destiladas de agave en México en el 2003. Sin ser estrictamente una investigación basada en teorías de género, aquí exploramos el mito y las realidades de las mujeres, en una industria cuya proporción en empleos según el género, seguramente ha cambiado y donde es evidente que los hombres han salido en una gran proporción, ante la ruptura de los sistemas artesanales en el campo y la industria.

From Sombreros to Sincronizadas: Authenticity, Ethnicity and the Mexican Restaurant Industry.

August 22, 2010 / / Comments Off on From Sombreros to Sincronizadas: Authenticity, Ethnicity and the Mexican Restaurant Industry.

Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, v.37, n.3: 314-341.

Abstract

While scholars agree that performances of authenticity and ethnicity express social relations and reveal the socially constructed character of identity, we know little about how these interactions contribute to the politics of everyday life. By engaging in participant observation, drawing on open-ended interviews, and analyzing the content of available data regarding restaurant culture, the author argues that the accomplishment of Mexican authenticity is a social construction. However, despite its socially created qualities, the author contends that performances of authenticity and ethnicity affect not only how individuals understand each other, but illustrate the challenges faced by different groups of people in the commercial production and consumption of identity.

Tequila Shots. (Photo Essay)

August 22, 2010 / / Comments Off on Tequila Shots. (Photo Essay)

Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, v.7, n.3, summer: 62-67.

Introduction

The town of Tequila, Mexico, lies about an hour’s drive from Guadalajara. Along with a population of fifty-one thousand, it boasts roughly twenty tequila factories, which is hardly surprising when you consider that nearly all tequila today originates from Tequila, its neighboring town, Amatitán, and the Los Altos region of Jalisco two hours to the north. In 2005 and 2006, I conducted fieldwork in this region. What made tequila so special, I wondered, and how did it come to be regarded as Mexico’s national drink?

Marie Sarita Gaytán

Marie Sarita Gaytán - Author of Tequila - Distilling the Spirit of MexicoSarita Gaytán is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Gender at the University of Utah.

Ph.D. in Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2008
M.A. in Sociology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2005
B.A. (with honors) in Political Science and Sociology, University of California, Irvine, 1997
Tequila - Distilling the Spirit of Mexico

Reviews

  • Clayton J. SzczechClayton J. SzczechExperience Tequila

    I highly recommend this insightful book to anyone with any interest or involvement in the Tequila industry. Regardless of your level of knowledge or experience, you’ll certainly learn something, have your assumptions challenged in a constructive way, and deepen your understanding of the culture of Tequila.

  • Rachel LaudanRachel LaudanTimes Literary Supplement

    Food and drink are every bit as important to national images as flags and anthems. For Mexicans, tequila, sipped with a slice of limón and a pinch of salt, is, as Marie Sarita Gaytán puts it, the very spirit of Mexico. For diners in Mexican Restaurants worldwide, tequila-based margaritas along with serapes, sombreros and mariachi music help manufacture a sense of fiesta.

    Yet, as Gaytán points out in this deft history, tequila is, like most national icons, of recent vintage [...]

  • F. H. Smith, College of William and MaryF. H. Smith, College of William and MaryChoice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

    A must read for all serious scholars of Mexican history as well as those engaged in alcohol studies research. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.

  • Bjørn SmalbroBjørn SmalbroTequilaList.com

    There is a lot of literature about tequila, mezcal and Mexico but there really are not that many, really good books with a broad perspective on the subjects. Most authors seem to be satisfied with [...] more or less established myths mixed with margarita recipes and some nice pictures. This is different! [...] Highly recommended!

  • Angie Solis, Library Journal

    [...] An enlightening and intriguing look into the sociological impacts and historical importance of tequila. Lovers of Latin American culture and industry will enjoy this in-depth glimpse into what is one of the most important facets of Mexican society. Not only will fans of history appreciate this research, but students of sociology can revel in the knowledge that has come from Gaytán’s extensive probe into this often misunderstood drink.

  • Deborah R. Vargas,Deborah R. Vargas,University of California, Riverside

    ¡Tequila! is an intellectual spirit, and a model for rigorous transnational and interdisciplinary analysis of Mexico's tequila cultural symbolism, production and consumption. A superb investigation of Mexican nationalist consumption and power.

  • Stanley H. BrandesStanley H. Brandesauthor of Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead: The Day of the Dead in Mexico and Beyond

    This riveting, beautifully-written book presents a groundbreaking examination of why and how tequila has achieved special distinction as a national symbol. Especially impressive is Gaytán's discussion of the ritual practices associated with tequila and the multiple ways in which the drink has come to represent both tradition and modernity. Simply terrific.

  • Gustavo ArellanoGustavo Arellanoauthor and columnist of ¡Ask a Mexican!

    "This book is its namesake liquor manifested: blanco in its rollicking prose, reposado in its smooth unveiling of an epic saga, añejo in its deep research. Add a touch of lime and salt, and you have a perfect evening of reading."

© 2024 ¡Tequila! – Distilling the Spirit of Mexico

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¡Tequila! Distilling the Spirit of Mexico traces how and why tequila became and remains Mexico’s national drink and symbol. Starting in Mexico’s colonial era and tracing the drink’s rise through the present day, I reveal the formative roles played by some unlikely characters.
Published by: Stanford University Press
Date published: 11/01/2014
Edition: First
ISBN: 9780804793070
Available inEbookPaperbackHardcover