We value the tenacious dedication to their craft that most mezcaleros embody —especially those of Indigenous descent — even though they still suffer from levels of poverty twice that of Mexico’s national average.
We recognize that most of the mezcaleros in Oaxaca’s sixteen Indigenous groups are subsistence farmers or day laborers who have limited means to acquire sufficient land and capital; they are seldom offered a place at the table when political decisions are made that impact their livelihoods. That Must Change.
–Gary Paul Nabhan
