Santiago Matatlan

Located in the center of the State of Oaxaca, it is part of the Tlacolula district in the Valles Centrales region. The main part of it is corn and agave, which is later sent to distillers and mezcal factories.

Santiago Matatlán is known as the "World Capital of Mezcal" and the population depends economically of the production of mezcal and the cultivation process of the mezcal maguey (Agave potatorum). This is where most of that liquor is made and in a short drive you can see fields and fields of agaves that grow for that purpose. In the town it is possible to visit family stills to see ancient techniques for making this traditional liquor where you can observe the production process, from the cooking of the maguey “pineapples” to its grinding, fermentation and distillation.