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What are the political economic conditions that have given rise to increasing numbers of social environmental conflicts in Mexico? Why do these conflicts arise in some local and regional contexts and not in others? How are social environmental movements constructed and sustained? And what are the alternatives? These are the questions that this book seeks to address. It is organized into three parts. The first provides a panoramic view of social environmental conflicts in Mexico and of alternatives that are being constructed from below in rural areas. It also provides an analysis of the recent reforms to open the country’s energy sector to private and foreign investment. The second is comprised of local-level case studies of conflict (and no conflict) in diverse geographic locations and cultural settings, particularly in relation to the construction of wind farms, hydraulic infrastructure, industrial water pollution, and groundwater overdraft. The third explores alternatives from below in the form of community-based ecotourism and traditional mezcal production. A concluding chapter engages comparative and global analysis.
"Divided Spirits tells the stories of tequila and mezcal, two of Mexico’s most iconic products. In recent years, as consumers increasingly demand to connect with the people and places that produce their food, the concept of terroir - the taste of place - has become more and more prominent. Tequila and mezcal are both protected by denominations of origin (DOs), legal designations that aim to guarantee a product’s authenticity based on its link to terroir. Advocates argue that the DOs expand market opportunities, protect cultural heritage, and ensure the reputation of Mexico’s national spirits. Yet this book shows how the institutions that are supposed to guard 'the legacy of all Mexicans' often fail those who are most in need of protection: the small producers, agave farmers, and other workers who have been making tequila and mezcal for generations. Divided Spirits suggests that we must move beyond market-based models if we want to safeguard local products and the people who make them. Instead, we need systems of production, consumption, and oversight that are more democratic, more inclusive, and more participatory."--Page 4 of cover.
“A manifesto…[and] a positive spin on the future of mezcal.” —Florence Fabricant, New York Times The agave plant was never destined to become tasteless, cheap tequila. All tequilas are mezcals; all mezcals are made from agaves; and every bottle of mezcal is the remarkable result of collaborations among agave entrepreneurs, botanists, distillers, beverage distributors, bartenders, and more. How these groups come together in this “spirits world” is the subject of this fascinating new book by the acclaimed ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and the pioneering restauranteur David Suro Piñera. Join them as they delight in the diversity of the distillate agave spirits, as they endeavor to...
This book reviews the history, current state of knowledge, and different research approaches and techniques of studies on interactions between humans and plants in an important area of agriculture and ongoing plant domestication: Mesoamerica. Leading scholars and key research groups in Mexico discuss essential topics as well as contributions from international research groups that have conducted studies on ethnobotany and domestication of plants in the region. Such a convocation will produce an interesting discussion about future investigation and conservation of regional human cultures, genetic resources, and cultural and ecological processes that are critical for global sustainability.
Original studies address key aspects of the conservation and biodiversity of plants. Articles are all peer-reviewed primary research papers, contributed by leading biodiversity researchers from around the world. Collectively, these articles provide a snapshot of the major issues and activities in global plant conservation. Many of the articles can serve as excellent case studies for courses in ecology, restoration, biodiversity, and conservation.
Winner, James Beard Foundation Best Cookbook of the Year Award, 2015 James Beard Foundation Best International Cookbook Award, 2015 The Art of Eating Prize for Best Food Book of the Year, 2015 The Yucatán Peninsula is home to one of the world's great regional cuisines. With a foundation of native Maya dishes made from fresh local ingredients, it shares much of the same pantry of ingredients and many culinary practices with the rest of Mexico. Yet, due to its isolated peninsular location, it was also in a unique position to absorb the foods and flavors of such far-flung regions as Spain and Portugal, France, Holland, Lebanon and the Levant, Cuba and the Caribbean, and Africa. In recent years...
"Chantal Martineau has written a compelling travelogue, tasting guide, business analysis, and ecological primer that firmly places tequila and its cousins as worthy spirits beyond cheap college margarita drunks." —Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds Tequila is one of the fastest-growing spirits categories in America, the margarita the country's most popular cocktail. But no longer is it only cheap party fuel—it has become America's luxury sipping spirit. How the Gringos Stole Tequila eloquently traces this extraordinary evolution. Author Chantal Martineau spent years immersing herself in the world of tequila––traveling to visit distillers and farmers in Mexico, meeting and t...
In the almost total isolation of the tropical lands of the Yucatán Peninsula, the Maya developed a science-based civilization more than 1,000 years before European explorers arrived. Overlooking the emerald rainforest were their majestic skylines. Architectural wonders with magnificent carvings adorned with hieroglyphic inscriptions, these wonders were stunners. This sophisticated urban center was the largest on Earth during the middle of the first millennium A.D. More than technologically stunning works of art and architecture, the sprawling Maya city-states were conceived to overwhelm observers with a sense of wonder. In addition to being centers of power, these cities were incubators of ...
"The Classic Maya civilization thrived between 200-950 CE in the tropical forests of eastern Mesoamerica before undergoing a period of breakdown and transformation known colloquially as the Classic Maya Collapse. This book draws on archaeological, environmental, and historical datasets to provide a comprehensive overview of Classic Maya human-environment relationships, including how communities addressed challenges wrought by climate change. Researchers today understand that the breakdown of Classic Maya society was the result of many long-term processes. Yet the story that continues to grip the public imagination is that Maya civilization mysteriously "collapsed." This book shifts the focus...
The pursuit of balance pervades everyday life in rural Yucatán, Mexico, from the delicate negotiations between a farmer and the neighbor who wants to buy his beans to the careful addition of sour orange juice to a rich plate of eggs fried in lard. Based on intensive fieldwork in one indigenous Yucatecan community, Predictable Pleasures explores the desire for balance in this region and the many ways it manifests in human interactions with food. As shifting social conditions, especially a decline in agriculture and a deepening reliance on regional tourism, transform the manners in which people work and eat, residents of this community grapple with new ways of surviving and finding pleasure. ...