The “hurry up and get there” mentality, while not uniquely American, certainly pervades the U.S. culture. We take freeways and speedways and rapid transit, if available. We give a hasty wave as we zip past people we know, check our watches during conversations, head for the express line even if we have seventeen items.
We are goal oriented.
In my Seattle neighborhood, I know every shortcut to avoid stoplights and freeway traffic jams. I zigzag through residential areas, steering clear of schools where yellow buses are loading and turn lanes that tend to gridlock. I know the streets that are less traveled and the four-way stops where no one ever stops. I know how to get there (wherever “there” is) in a hurry.
Here in Mexico, we have the cuotas, the toll roads which are quicker and emptier and paved more recently than the old libres, or free roads. Certainly, if one wishes to get somewhere as quickly as possible, that’s the way to go, although they’re not foolproof. But they’re better than the alternative.
Unless they’re not. Unless getting there quicker is not the main objective.
Truth is, I just love side roads. The most fun I ever have on road trips is off the main highway.
I get an actual physical thrill turning off the big fast road onto the podunk road, not knowing what lies ahead and how long the journey will take.
I am gaga over every little town we drive through, every tiny grocer and over-spilling junk shop. I want to eat at every country restaurant. I look into everyone’s window and open door. On road trips in Mexico, I crane my neck to peer into every yard with laundry hanging out and a donkey tethered to a tree.
It will be good when I get my own car down here. I’m sure my friends are sick to death of my exclamations of joy over each dusty fruit stand and paltry display of gourds. They have been so patient with me.
Driving on the cuota to Tlaquepaque last week with Jesse and Judith, I happened to remark to Jess, “I think I want to live in Tequila next.”
He said, “Have you ever been there?”
I said, “No.”
At which point he and Judith instantly decided we could have a side trip. Honestly, isn’t that the best thing ever?
You might think that the town of Tequila was named after the drink, but it was the other way around. Where the name “Tequila” came from is harder to decipher. We know the word is from the Nahuatl language. It means “place of tribute”. Or “place where people work”. Or “place where people cut”. Or maybe “wild herb place”. Take your pick.
The town Tequila was founded in the early 1500’s by a monk from Spain, although the area had been inhabited for who knows how long.
The drink tequila, or something approximating it, was first made in the 1600’s, when the Spanish conquistadores started running out of their imported Spanish brandy and needed something else potent to drink. The various indigenous peoples had been fermenting the heart of the blue agave since ancient times, but the Spaniards preferred their libations clearer and a little less earthy. They decided to try distilling it, and thus tequila was born.
There are a hundred zillion agave plants in the state of Jalisco.
The heart, or piña, which looks like a pineapple (sort of), takes eight to twelve years to develop, at which time they dig it up and make it into tequila. The statue on the way into Tequila shows a guy doing this, which I think is still done exactly the same way it's been done for centuries -- by hand.
You get into the heart of the town of Tequila just about same way you get into the heart of any other town in Mexico: you follow the signs, then end up somewhere, then figure out where you'd prefer to be and bungle your way there.
Invariably, this entails maneuvering through narrow lumpy streets. In Tequila, there is a reward for your persistence.
Surrounding the main square are blocks of beautifully restored old buildings, most of which are now part of the Jose Cuervo complex. Apparently, the Jose Cuervo company owns most of the old city center. You might think this is an undesirable state of affairs. But from an aesthetic and (probably) conservation standpoint, it appears to be the opposite.
Mundo Cuervo (which means Cuervo World) is the Jose Cuervo visitor center. It's gorgeous and hardly a bit like Disney World.
They do have gift shops and tours and a movie running on a flat screen monitor...
...but they also have tequila tasting rooms and art and a wagon of blue agave.
I wandered down the block.
I'll bet you didn't know that the Cuervo family dates the start of their business to 1758, when the king of Spain gave a land grant to the first José, José Antonio de Cuervo. Then in 1795, another king of Spain uttered a royal decree allowing José Maria Guadalupe de Cuervo to legally produce mezcal wine. Think about that the next time you swig a shot of Cuervo Gold.
I returned in time to take this picture of Jesse and Judith coming out of Mundo Cuervo.
We didn't taste any tequila, as we still had some distance to drive afterward and anyway, we all know what it tastes like.
We decided to eat instead.
Right across the street from Mundo Cuervo is Fonda Cholula, which is a restaurant also owned by the Cuervo clan. In fact, we learned that they even own Cholula hot sauce, which is my favorite and was on all the tables in bottles with little wooden knob tops.
Judith and Jesse both ordered Chiles en Nogada, a famous Mexican dish which incorporates the three colors of the Mexican flag. The chile is green, the walnut sauce is white, and the pomegranate seeds are red.
After lunch I went back to the kitchen for a visit.
When I told them I'd forgotten to take any photos of the Chiles en Nogada before they were eaten, they made up a plate right on the spot.
Stomachs full and purring, we meandered our way out of town, passing more Cuervo buildings on the adjacent block...
...and eventually, after stopping to say hello to the daughter of the gourd man, found our way back to the cuota and on to Guadalajara and points beyond.
I hope you enjoyed this side trip as much as I did. Thanks, J & J.
I’m looking forward to sometime in the next future soon (as El Arqui puts it) when I can take more side trips, both physically and metaphorically.
I’ve felt lately that I’ve been staying on the main road a lot, herding my good workers toward my goal of a liveable house. One of these days, I'll be able to invite some of them back to help me with special little projects that I'm saving for later, projects that are more whimsical, less crucial, just for fun. Projects more like country roads than cuotas.
As the casa nears completion, I look forward to many drives down back roads to seek out special plants or works of art, and just to see what I come across. I anticipate having time to meander down the side roads of my mind, too: to release my American goal orientation and just let life and ideas percolate at their leisure.
I think it’s going to be fun.
❂ ❂ ❂
jajjajaja, nice picture Candice!!!!!!!
Posted by: Guillermo | September 13, 2010 at 08:50 PM
By the way, Dee and Gretchen: didn't have a chance to reply until now, but those crows sitting on those ledges are sculptures! Lifelike, no? I think the crow is one of Cuervo's symbols or logos. I love that wall.
Posted by: Candice | September 13, 2010 at 06:13 PM
Great now I have Pee-Wee Herman dance and the Tequila song playing in my head! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BodXwAYeTfM
Posted by: Allen | September 08, 2010 at 06:48 PM
I enjoyed your travelogue as always, and love the artsy shot of the blackbirds on the wall ... that would look great as a framed photo enlargement on one of your walls!
Just read about the San Pancho bridge being swept away, hope all is well with you and your neighbors. Yikes ... scary!
Posted by: Dee | September 05, 2010 at 11:16 AM
I especially like the little stations placed on the wall randomly for crows to sit on. A person needs something quite like that in their new casa....
Great "off the beaten track" trip.
sounds to me as tho' you are getting into Mexican time very nicely.
Posted by: Gretchen Goodliffe | September 04, 2010 at 09:18 PM
Delightful! I was traveling with you. such a nice pace of life...I've often thought of how wonderful it would be to live in a small quiet village in Italy...this feels the same...I so look forward to your writings each Friday....good luck with the final finishes.
C xo
Posted by: Char | September 03, 2010 at 11:21 AM
Great post Candice! What a gorgeous town. I look forward to more of your side explorations.
And here is your famous mango margarita recipe!
Candice’s Mango Margaritas
2 medium ripe mangos, peeled, pitted
and coarsely diced
1 cup gold tequila
1 cup Triple Sec
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup mango nectar
About 4 trays ice cubes
In a food processor, purée the mango. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of purée. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until cold - about 1 hour.
In a blender container, combine half the purée, half the tequila, half the Triple Sec and half the lime juice. Fill the jar to the top with ice cubes, cover, and blend on high until thick and slushy. Transfer to a pitcher. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Stir to blend, pour into glasses, and serve immediately.
Posted by: Jeanne | September 03, 2010 at 08:04 AM