The Blue Agave

Side trips around Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta that take you to higher altitudes will most likely bring you into Tequila country where they grow the majestic blue agave.  Driving from Jaltemba Bay to Guadalajara the first fields are encountered just past Compostela. Driving east from Puerto Vallarta toward Mascota and Guadalajara the agave fields are encountered as you enter the high country about an hour from the airport.

With its blue green color it is indeed a beautiful plant.  Locally the plant is called magé.  Most people will know that it is the raw material for the manufacture of tequila.  But some interesting facts you may not be aware of are:

Up to about 20 years ago agave used to make tequila had to be produced in the state of Jalisco but now Michoacan, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas  and Nayarit are also allowed.

It is BIG business employing over 38,000 people in the sate of Jalisco. In 2000 to 2006 over 300 million plants were planted.

The main area is around the town of Tequila, Jalisco where the fields  climb the sides of ancient volcanoes and provide more than half of the national production.

Other resources:

Everything one could possibly want to know about agave and tequila on this site:

Lots of good information on this site including the tequila manufacturing process and historical time line.