Thursday morning at 7:30 I met several men in a corn field that belongs to Felipe. From their trucks they gathered large baskets and began strapping them to their backs. As they were preparing themselves, one of the men came around with a bottle of mezcal offering each man a drink. Everyone accepted their portion because they knew what awaited them. They were there to pick corn. 

For the next eight hours these men walked along the corn stalks picking and tossing ears of corn over their shoulders into their baskets. Felipe had asked me to photograph the day so his children in the States could see the results of their investment. Thank goodness! I'm sure I would have been embarrassed if I had tried to keep up the pace with everyone else. 

When full the baskets can weigh up to forty kilos. The way they attacked the field reminded me of insects devouring a crop. Within minutes I understood the purpose of the mezcal. The work is like no other I've ever witnessed. It is truly a grueling, backbreaking job. Maneuvering through the field with a large basket in its self is difficult. As the basket is filled it becomes more challenging. I felt a bit foolish stumbling along trying to keep up with just a camera. 

When a basket is filled it is taken to a truck and emptied. When the first truck load was filled it was taken to Felipe's and unloaded. I rode with the driver and discovered that the women had been preparing breakfast. After the corn was unloaded, the women returned with the truck to the field. The meal was laid out and soon the men arrived. Already some looked worn. Cups of mezcal were again passed around before eating. The conversation during the meal became jovial. Insults were thrown back and forth in jest. Of course I was ribbed for not participating. It was offered several times that I should at least have a photo taken with a basket on my back so I could boast at having worked alongside. 

After the meal the men returned to work, and the women returned to Felipe's to begin preparation for the evening meal. What will forever remain in my thoughts is the light hardiness manner in which all the tasks were completed. While the men didn't talk a lot, when they did there was never an air of drudgery. The women also chatted and laughed while they worked.

At about 4:30 the men returned with the last loads of the day. The trucks were emptied while others stretched to find relief from pain. The mezcal came out again as the men cleaned up to eat.

My biggest shock came when Felipe brought out his money to settle for the day. Not one of his friends would accept payment! I suppose it’s because we view manual labor differently but I sat there in disbelief as they turned down any pay. Felipe is recovering from a recent operation on one of his eyes and is unable to work. He is fortunate to have such loyal friends.

I had been uncomfortable during the evening meal because I knew that I’d not done my share of physical labor. As if he sensed my uneasiness one of the men turned to me and said how wonderful it is that his grand kids are going to have a record of their grandpa working in the fields. Beth and I have started displaying photos with our friends in the patio. He made reference to his grandchildren coming to our home and seeing grandpa.

After the meal, much mezcal, and conversation everyone left. The job now is to remove the husks, which will be used to make tamales, let the corn dry after which it will be beaten with a stick to remove the kernels from the cob, and the stalks will be cut down and gathered for animal feed.

In a conversation with one of the men, I learned that there was another job that surpassed picking corn in its difficulty.  Juan makes mezcal, (how convenient for us), when the agave plants are harvested the stems are cut right to the head of the plant. The heart or head is then loaded into a truck. Some of these heads weigh up to four hundred pounds and they are lifted shoulder high.

Beth and I have had the luxury of having two friends who produce mezcal.   It’s become quite a nasty business. Because the market for mezcal is high and there is little control some fabricas have begun to use unscrupulous methods creating their product. Most common is adding chemicals to encourage quick fermentation. Other trampas are adding water or pure alcohol to make their product go farther. Aguardiente, a nasty drink made from sugarcane, may also be added.

Many times during comidas or get-togethers, Juan or Casto bring pulque, a drink that was made by the indigenous people before the arrival of the Spanish.  Pulque is taken from the agave plant while the plant is still alive. The top of the head is exposed and a hole is made in the top of the head. Each day for several days the owner can dip out the liquid that has seeped into the hole. This is a very rich drink. It is sweet yet tangy. Initially, fresh pulque is slightly alcoholic; as it ages, the fermentation process continues and the alcohol content rises. I remember reading that before the arrival of the Spanish many people practically subsisted on pulque. It is very rich in nutrients. It was with the arrival of the Spanish that the distilling process began which resulted in mezcal.