El papel de las fiestas en la revalorización del pulque, una bebida ancestral del centro de México

The aim of this study is to analyze the role that festivals have in the preservation and revaluation of pulque, a fermented ancestral drink from central Mexico. For this, secondary sources and testimonies of key informants were used to identify and characterize the main festivals in which pulque has a high presence. The study approach was qualitative and exploratory. Two types of festivals were identified: festivals with a high popular tradition and festivals emanating from the pulque neoculture. The first ones are carried out using traditional consumption logic, with religious, historical and cultural significance, and are closer to the concept of festivity. The second ones are carried out under a logic of neo-consumption, based on the search for identity in globalized societies, with a commercial disposition, adjusted to industrial production scales, and are closer to the concept of fair. It is concluded that pulque has been preserved and revalued despite the adversity of the economic, political and cultural contexts in which it has been produced, due to a process of social valorization in which both types of festivals contribute significantly. To expand the benefits of the participants in the pulque agribusiness value chain, it is recommended to build consensus so that both types of festivals coexist, highlight the specific richness of each type and allow traditional and new consumers to appreciate different meanings in the drink.