And now…some photos from Tequila, Jalisco.

These pictures cover a tour of El Castillo de Tequila in the agave fields that surround Tequila. The agave fields are quite beautiful. I have never really cared to go to Tequila, but I have always admired the fields of agave. They span across the whole valley, but unfortunately, I was unable to get clear photos from the moving car. Also unfortunately, the owners of El Castillo have decided to build a hotel in the middle of the agave fields over 20 stories high. The interesting thing, though, is that it will be in the shape of their most famous bottle. As someone who has always loved glass bottles, I truly loved their designs. I got a bottle of añejo just because it was shaped like a jack o’ lantern.

On the tour, we learned about the creation story of tequila. According to the story, lightning struck a piña in the fields and produced pulque. Soon enough, tequila was born.

After the tour, we went into Tequila and wandered a bit. To my surprise, we did not stop at Tres Mujeres. My mother always has to stop there. In the plaza, there were tourists, vendors and dogs everywhere. Not pictured are the three pairs of beaded earrings I bought. I got those three pairs for the less than what I paid at the UCLA Powwow for one pair made in Nayarit. I was taking advantage of these prices.

Anyway, while I love Jalisco, I cannot overlook the poverty my family left that still persists. While in line to take pictures in front of the Tequila letters in the plaza, plenty of children were fighting to take our pictures for money. These were children about 12 and younger. The girls that got us were sisters no more than nine years old. My mom asked the younger one where her parents were, and she pointed to her mother sitting on the edge of the plaza on her phone. Everyone has a different financial situation, but it is hard to stomach that the mother is sitting on her phone while her child is hustling to make money from taking pictures for tourists. Especially when the older children are trying to punk her for getting to us first. It is easy to see this and be grateful for all that I have, but it still feels wrong to not help our people on a level deeper than giving pesos that will buy just one meal.

Following the twirls and dramatics of the little girl to get those pesos, we continued our wandering. We got to see four men performing la Danza de los Voladores. I always think it must be fun to just swing around the pole and come down. They just glide through the air. It is fun to watch.

It began to rain and was getting dark earlier with the clouds, so we called our taxista back and began the journey back to Guadalajara. It was BEAUTIFUL seeing the dark gray clouds tumble over the mountains and the agaves sprawling over slopes across the valley. There was the occasional tree and plenty of vendors. There is also…Cantaritos el Güero along the carreterra. One time I saw a TikTok of this guy making the huge cantarito. When I saw him there on another occasion, it was like seeing a celebrity. It just made me give a little teehee haha. Their cantaritos are good, I do confess. I am not one to drink alcohol, but I could not taste a drop. The cantarito just tasted like yummy, yummy Squirt. I also love things, so taking the jarro is always a bonus. The Latine urge to gather must triumph.

All in all, it was a lovely little trip out into the countryside and seeing one of Jalisco’s most famous treasures. Stay tuned for photos from Guadalara and Chapala!