about oaxaca
Oaxaca is a remarkable region of inspiring individuals whose rich and colorful culture over the centuries has evolved in sync with nature.
Located in one of Mexico’s most southern, mountainous areas, you can find an exhilarating combination of indigenous influences, colonial architecture, archeological ruins, and intoxicating landscapes.
The Palenque, where the Mezcal is distilled, is located on the river’s edge in San Juan del Rio, a remote village with the most welcoming, warm, and humble people.
Aldez Mezcal’s label was inspired by a late night drive back from the Palenque in San Juan del Rio to Oaxaca City, after Jen and Manuel spent a full day learning, eating, and laughing with friends. The dirt road was narrow, precarious, and winding, filled with the peaks and valleys of the mountainside. They pulled the car over to the side of the road to admire the sky in the absence of all street lights, revealing stars as far as the eye could see. In past visits, the moon obscured most stars, but on this particular visit, it was a new moon, keeping the sky so dark, allowing them to see not only the stars, but the milky way. In this moment, they were inspired to create a label that paid tribute to the very moon, mountain, and stars that took our breaths away and made the experience magical.
The jaguar was added because of its significance to the ancient civilizations of Mexico; the Olmecs, the Mayans, and the Aztecs who worshiped the jaguar as a deity. Because of its ability to see in the night, they believed that jaguars were a being of the stars and the earth, capable of moving between worlds. To the Mayans, the Jaguar was in fact the ruler of the Underworld.
The elusive snake is a nod to Quetzalcoatl, another sacred deity for Aztecs, regarded as the god of life, wisdom, day, and winds. As a sacred creature to the Aztec, the serpent symbolized Quetzalcoatl, taking the shape as a feathered snake, or Coatl in the Nahuatl language. Coatl is regarded as a symbol of the earth and also represents Coatlicue, the personification of the earth.
Lastly, if you look closely at the label, you’ll see three different shapes of agaves on the ground, which are an authentic representation of the agaves used in our Mezcals.
It was our goal to embody the living beauty and magic of Oaxaca’s captivating culture through our Mezcal — both inside and out. From the first sight of its label on the shelf to the moment the liquid hits your lips, let the essence of Oaxaca transport you to a place like nowhere else on earth.
