Tequila and the Agave Landscape
Patrimonio Mundial / Pueblo MáGico · Tequila, Jalisco
The only UNESCO World Heritage landscape in Mexico inscribed for a spirit, around the town of Tequila about 60 km north-west of Guadalajara. Roughly 34,000 hectares of blue agave run in rows between the Tequila volcano and the Santiago river gorge, worked since the sixteenth century, together with the old distilleries and haciendas, some ruined and some still running, that turned it into an industry. Agave tequilana Weber azul takes six to eight years to mature, and then a jimador strips it with a long blade called a coa down to a pina weighing 40 to 90 kilos, which is roasted, crushed, fermented and distilled. It can only be called tequila if it comes from the legally designated region, a denomination of origin since 1974. The town itself is small and well touristed; the real reason to come is the fields and the process. Big-brand visits are polished and busy, while small traditional distilleries show the work in more detail. Most people come on a day trip, and whatever you choose, do not drive yourself if you plan to taste.
Plaza Principal, Tequila, Tequila, Jalisco, 46400, Mexico
⚠ THE UNESCO INSCRIPTION IS THE 34,000-HECTARE AGAVE LANDSCAPE AND ITS DISTILLERIES (2006), not the town plaza where this pin sits - the sites are spread between Tequila, Amatitán and El Arenal. Distilleries keep daytime tour hours with paid admission; ⚠ THE LARGE HOUSES RUN SCHEDULED TOURS THROUGH THE DAY, and ⚠ THE SMALL TRADITIONAL DISTILLERIES USUALLY NEED BOOKING A DAY OR TWO AHEAD, often by WhatsApp, and are closed to callers otherwise. Tequila trains run from Guadalajara on published days. ⚠ DO NOT SELF-DRIVE IF YOU ARE TASTING. ⚠ ON A LABEL, "100% DE AGAVE" IS THE QUALITY MARK - its absence means a mixto of up to 49% other sugars, and the word mixto never appears. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.
Tequila and the Agave Landscape on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos