History:
Legend has it that in the region of Tequilla (currently Achio Jalisco) lived an old man called "Achi Colli" which means "the first of the grandfathers." According to this legend, Achi Colli had heard from his ancestors a story about a rainy summer afternoon when lightning struck a field full of wild plants and magueys (agave). Due to the extreme heat caused by the lightning, the maguey leaves were incinerated, however the wild plants were left untouched by the heat. From these wild plants a milky liquid began to flow, this liquid produced a seductive scent. The residents of Tequillia approached the wild plants, and began tasting the white, milky liquid; the taste was so pleasant to them that they attributed the whole act to a miracle of the Gods who have shown their forgiveness by providing this wonderful beverage.
In reality, the word tequila comes from the Nahuatl (a group of related languages and dialects traditionally called Aztecan) word "Teculian" or "Tequila", which means "Place of Tribute". Long before the arrival of the Spanish in 1521, the fermented agave beverage was produced and consumed by Aztec people in the region. The Aztec people called this beverage "octli" (later called pulque). After the arrival of the Spanish, as the conquistadors ran out of their own brandy, they began to distill this agave drink to produce North America's first indigenous distilled spirit. Years later, the town of "Santo Santiago de Tequila" (Tequila Jalisco) was founded by Cristóbal de Oñate and Franciscans under the orders of Fray Juan Calero on April 15, 1530.
Around the year 1600, Don Pedro Sánchez de Tagle, the Marquis of Altamira, began producing tequila at the first factory in the territory of modern day Jalisco. By 1608, the colonial governor of Nueva Galicia had begun to tax his products. Don Cenobio Sauza, founder of Sauza Tequila and Municipal President of the Village of Tequila from 1884-1885, was the first to export tequila to the United States. Don Cenobio's grandson, Don Francisco Javier gained international attention for insisting that "there cannot be tequila where there are no agaves!" His efforts led to the practice that real tequila can only come from the State of Jalisco.
The Mexican Government has established the "General Declaration of Protection of Denomiation of Origin Tequila". Based on this declaration, the areas where Tequila can be planted/produced is limited to the original area covered by the State of Jalisco, the municipalities of Abasolo, Manuel Folding Cuerámaro City, Huanímaro, Penjamo and Purisima del Rincon, Guanajuato State, the municipalities of Brisena of Matamoros, Chavinda, Chilchota Churintzio, Cotija, Ecuandureo Jacona, Jiquilpan Maravatio New Parangaricutiro Numarán, Pajacuarán, Peribán, Piety, Regulus, Los Reyes, Sahuayo Tancítaro, Tangamandapio, Tangancícuero, Tanhuato, Tocumbo, Venustiano Carranza, Villamar, Vistahermosa Yurécuero, Zináparo Zamora, Michoacan State, the Municipalities of Ahuacatlán, Amatlan Canas, Ixtlan, Jala, Jalisco, San Pedro Lagunillas, Santa María del Oro and Tepic, Nayarit State, and Municipalities of Aldama Altamira Antiguo Morelos, Gomez Farias, Gonzalez Llera, Mante, Nuevo Morelos, Ocampo, Tula, Tamaulipas State Xicoténcatl.
Visit the "Tequila Regulatory Council" website for additional details on all regulatory matters related to Tequila at http://www.crt.org.mx/index.php.