Differentiating Knowledge of Agave Landraces, Uses, and Management in Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala

Abstract

Pulque is a product made from the fermentation of the sap (aguamiel) of certain agaves and its consumption has been recorded since pre-Hispanic times. The effort to recognize the landraces of the Agave genus used to produce pulque and the study of its traditional knowledge remain limited. Studies regarding this topic have centered on farmers (experts) with the biggest production capacity. This work analyzes in different ways the knowledge that experts and non-experts (general population) have regarding the usage and management of agave landraces in Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala, one of the most iconic pulque production locations in Mexico. Two-hundred and twenty-two semi-structured interviews were carried out with non-experts and 22 with experts. The non-experts recognized 12 agave landraces, whilst experts recognized eight landraces that are mainly used to obtain aguamiel. The most important landrace that they identified was the Agave salmiana, due to the sweetness of its aguamiel and flexibility of its leaves. In total, 92 uses of agave landraces were recorded: 64 direct uses and 28 derivative uses. The oldest participants know most of its uses, but the younger participants recorded 48 uses, which indicates that agaves are a valuable resource for new generations. Experts mentioned uses directly related to the production of plants, aguamiel, and pulque, whilst non-experts included more categories of use. The agaves used for the production of pulque are of great importance for local biodiversity, culture, and economy.

Diversity and traditional knowledge of pulque agave landraces in the community of San Pedro Tlalcuapan, Tlaxcala, Mexico

“…salmiana for 10 localities in 9 municipalities of Tlaxcala. Finally, Trejo et al (2022) reported, for the central zone of Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala, A. americana "Cenizo", A. mapisaga var. mapisaga "Palmilla", A. salmiana subsp.…”

“…According to these reports, "Manso" is preferred because of its size, the flexibility of its leaves that facilitate handling, and, most of all, https://doi. org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2023.94.4979 the high quality of its sweeter sap of 9-15 °Brix (Mora-López et al, 2011;Ramírez-Manzano et al, 2020;Trejo et al, 2022).…”

“…In addition, the diversity of the genus Agave is also due to the use, manipulation, and human selection of agave plants (Eguiarte et al, 2021;Gentry, 1982). Humans have been using them for at least 10,000 years; virtually the whole plant is harnessed, and more than 92 uses have been reported (Colunga-GarcíaMarín et al, 2017;Trejo et al, 2022). The uses of agave include the elaboration of distilled spirits such as tequila or fermented beverages such as "pulque".…”

Caracterización del metzal: una de las bondades del agave pulquero

“…De los agaves pulqueros, particularmente, se obtienen recursos comestibles como: chinicuiles, gusano blanco de maguey y hongo de maguey. Se han agrupado cerca de 100 usos específicos (Colunga-GarcíaMarín et al 2017; Trejo et al 2022), y para cada parte de la planta en las distintas fases de su crecimiento provee de diversos recursos (Bucio Peña et al 2023).…”