Breakfast and liquor tasting

After our balloon flight, we were taken to a nearby restaurant for breakfast before heading to Artesanías El Quetzal.

The star of the show was the maguey, a giant agave with thick, fleshy leaves that has been part of life in central Mexico for centuries. I knew it was used to make tequila and mezcal, but I hadn't realised just how versatile it was.

The sweet sap can be fermented into pulque, a traditional alcoholic drink that predates the arrival of the Spanish. The tough fibers from the leaves can be spun into thread and woven into textiles, something we watched being demonstrated on a loom. Even the sharp thorns at the tips of the leaves were once used as sewing needles, while other parts of the plant could be turned into a paper-like material and inscribed using those same thorns.

Naturally, after learning all of this, we were rewarded with a tasting of various agave liqueurs before being released into the souvenir shop. Whether the tasting was intended to make us appreciate the craftsmanship or simply loosen our wallets is open to debate, but I can't deny it was an effective strategy.Read more