Agave Connections with Drs. Paul and Suzy Fish

by University of Arizona W.A. Franke Honors Students: Alyssa Elias, Keita Maekawa, Sydney Pfizer, and Sophia Smith-Gatto

This project was conducted as a group final project for two of the University of Arizona's W.A. Franke Honors College courses, HNRS 314 and HNRS 335. Through our project, we aim to explore the cultural, economic, and ecological significance of agave as a symbol of resilience in marginalized communities, especially in the borderlands. By conducting interviews and research, our team set out to better understand the following question:

​"How does agave cultivation and usage contribute to community resilience and cultural identity in marginalized communities?"

What began as what we thought was the study of a plant quickly evolved into a deeper look at how traditions, land, labor, and culture intersect. After conducting interviews with experts, we produced a 75-minute documentary featuring Drs. Paul and Suzy Fish that explores their work as archaeologists and what agave means to them and other communities. They shared their experiences and offered a different perspective on how agave goes beyond making tequila and mezcal to support environmental sustainability and community strength. We then created this website to accompany our video, sharing the context and insight we gained about agave from our research. Through this multimedia approach, we aim to make the connections surrounding agave more accessible while honoring the communities whose knowledge and practices continue to shape agave's story.

We sat down with archaeologists Paul and Suzy Fish for their insights from over 40 years of research and fieldwork. They explore the many dimensions of agave, including its traditional uses, cultural significance, and role in fostering community and sustainability. The Fishes emphasize that agave is more than a source of spirits like mezcal or tequila; it’s a resilient plant rooted in Indigenous knowledge, nutrition, and land stewardship. Their perspective highlights how agave brings people together and thrives in diverse environments, especially in the desert Southwest.

Agave as a Tool for Community Strength

Agave is a powerful tool that is essential for shaping cultural practices and providing many economic opportunities for different communities, acting as a symbol of power and resilience. The use of agave goes beyond tequila and mezcal, creating an abundance of important items, from medical remedies, different tools derived from the fiber of the agave, and providing many benefits to the environment (Worth, 2024). Agave is crucial to keeping a connected and sustainable community.

​Agave was known for bringing groups of people together when they would conduct roasting pits. Every year, these groups of people would come together to roast, helping each other harvest. Furthermore, agave also plays a crucial role in heredity and ceremony. Agave was used in ceremony practices that offered a light alcoholic beverage to celebrate and show gratitude for labor. Agave is known for being sweet, fermentable, and important in hospitality. The sweetness that is provided by agave was important for those who lacked a variety of food and substance in their diet (S. & P. Fish, 2025). 

Agave is used to make numerous crafting elements as well as everyday, usable items. These include ropes, mats, baskets, clothing, straws, and bags. One important, culturally-significant item created with agave is a carrying cloth that was used to carry items from the market, or even assist with carrying children from place to place. These varying uses demonstrate how agave is a crucial plant that helps keep the ways of living efficient for Indigenous communities (S. & P. Fish, 2025).

Agave requires a lot of human labor to ensure it grows successfully, but throughout the growth process, different communities are brought together. Agave's use even extends as a tool that can restore degraded landscapes and help with revegetation, even with our changing climate. Overall, agave is so much more than a mere plant - its cultural influences and resilient strength keeps communities connected and strong (S. & P. Fish, 2025).

Cultural & Economic Connections to Agave

Painting by Miguel Cabrera, Hallazgo de la Virgen de los Remedios por el Cacique Juan de Tovar, 17th century. Basilica of Los Remedios, Tlalnepantla, Mexico.

Agave is more than just a plant—it’s a living symbol of survival, resilience, and cultural identity. Since the colonial era, agave has played a central role in the everyday lives of Indigenous communities in what is now Mexico. Chroniclers like Fray Francisco Jiménez and Motolinia documented its many uses, including shelter, clothing, food, and drink. Jiménez even claimed that agave alone was “sufficient to provide the human race with all it needs to survive” (Coronado Guel, 2023). Over time, agave also became the foundation for mezcal—a distilled spirit that evolved into a major economic and cultural product (Coronado Guel, 2023).

During Spanish colonization, agave was woven into new systems of power, religion, and trade. A striking example is the story of the Virgin of Remedios, a Catholic icon hidden beneath an agave plant during the Spanish retreat from Tenochtitlan. This discovery inspired religious art that came to symbolize the merging of Mexican and Spanish identities (Coronado Guel, 2023). This blending reflects what Schafer calls a “culturescape”—an environment shaped by the intersection of cultural, sensory, historical, and social experiences (Schafer, 2014).

Agave’s cultural and economic significance extends into Indigenous life in the borderlands. In our interview with archaeologists Paul and Suzy Fish, they described agave’s wide-ranging uses in ancestral communities—from ceremonial gatherings around platform mounds to the production of mats, baskets, clothing, and carrying cloths. In one excavation, 28 out of 30 homes contained tools for agave fiber processing, underscoring its central role in local economies and cultural traditions (S. & P. Fish, 2025).

Today, agave continues to support communities through both cultural preservation and emerging economic opportunities. Goods made with agave remain vital to cultural expression and local economies, often passed down through generations. Meanwhile, companies are transforming agave waste into biodegradable materials, reflecting its enduring role as a bridge between ancestral knowledge and modern economic innovation.

Agave & Sustainable Livelihoods

Agave plays a vital role in supporting sustainable livelihoods across regions where it grows, serving as both a cultural touchstone and an economic resource. For thousands of people, agave is more than a plant—it's a shared passion and a foundation for community-based work (Kayko, 2025).

Because agave has a long growth cycle and multiple uses—especially in producing mezcal and tequila—it presents both challenges and opportunities for sustainable agriculture. Many agave harvesters are embracing traditional knowledge and creative techniques to preserve agave ecosystems. For example, some allow select agave plants to flower to support pollinators, and repurpose byproducts like bagasse (agave fiber waste) into materials for paper, textiles, and even construction (Williams, 2025).

These sustainable practices also make it possible to cultivate agave on marginal lands, contributing to both economic resilience and environmental restoration. In fact, agave’s ability to thrive in dry, rocky environments—including post-mining landscapes—offers a model for land regeneration and climate adaptation (Garrone, 2022).

In Arizona, agave’s natural drought tolerance makes it especially valuable. It requires minimal water and few inputs, helping farmers reduce costs while conserving vital resources. With its potential for sustainable materials, biofuels, and soil restoration, agave offers a low-impact, high-benefit crop that supports both people and the planet (Kayko, 2025).