Explore the agaves, makers and production traditions of twelve Mexican states.
Mezcal varies with the plant, the landscape and the way a community cooks, ferments and distills its agaves. Oaxaca’s clay pots, Michoacán’s wooden stills and San Luis Potosí’s steam ovens offer different ways into that variety. Choose a state below to meet its producers and follow the process.
Compare agaves and production traditions across twelve states
| State | Agaves and traditions to explore |
|---|---|
| Oaxaca | Espadín, tobalá, tepeztate and many other agaves; family palenques, grower cooperatives, and copper and clay stills. Read the Oaxaca guide. |
| San Luis Potosí | Salmiana from the Altiplano; steam ovens, hacienda history and small family distilleries. Read the San Luis Potosí guide. |
| Durango | Cenizo and lamparillo; vinatas using varied crushing methods and stills that combine copper, wood or steel. Read the Durango guide. |
| Guerrero | Papalote, sacatoro and espadín; seed raising, village distilleries and the growers behind Sanzekan and Aguerrido. Read the Guerrero guide. |
| Michoacán | Chino and alto; family vinatas and wooden distilling chambers that cool the vapor inside. Read the Michoacán guide. |
| Puebla | Papalote, pichomel and candelillo; Mixteca family distilleries, varied stills and community agave restoration. Read the Puebla guide. |
| Zacatecas | Azul in the southern valleys and salmiana around Pinos; family distilleries, former haciendas and different cooking methods. Read the Zacatecas guide. |
| Guanajuato | Salmiana around San Felipe and Mineral de Pozos; hacienda workers, steam ovens and producers such as Jaral de Berrio and Cuanax. Read the Guanajuato guide. |
| Tamaulipas | Agaves known locally as jarcia and amole; family vinatas around San Carlos and Jiménez, with pit cooking and varied stills. Read the Tamaulipas guide. |
| Estado de México | Local criollo agaves; family distilleries around Malinalco and Zumpahuacán, hand crushing and bulk-spirit sales. Read the Estado de México guide. |
| Morelos | Criollo agaves growing among crops and trees; distillers in Palpan, Tlajotla and Tepoztlán, alongside newer cultivation. Read the Morelos guide. |
| Aguascalientes | Salmiana and espadín; small distilleries called estancos, varied ovens and stills, and Real de Calvillo’s use of guava. Read the Aguascalientes guide. |
Follow the agave as well as the state
A state name is a starting point. Two producers in the same state can work with different agaves, ovens and stills, while neighboring states can share a plant or a distilling tradition.
Cupreata illustrates the connection: it is known as papalote or ancho in Guerrero and chino in Michoacán. Salmiana connects the plateau traditions of San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas and Guanajuato.
Local names also change meaning. Papalote in a Puebla producer’s mezcal can refer to a different species from Guerrero’s papalote. The plant name, village and maker help explain what is in a bottle.