Agave Fields

Agave plants on Rancho Murillo are equidistant from each other
with ample space to ensure access to proper nutrients.
Each row has enough distance from its neighbors
so the agave plants can grow to maturity without overcrowding.

"Plantita" Offspring

As an agave plant matures, it produces offspring that shoot up out of the soil in its surrounding area.
These must be removed promptly so that they do not overcrowd the fields
or take away from the mother plant's nutrients.
These "plantitas" are then given proper nutrients before being replanted again as part of a new planting.

Agua Negra

Rancho Murillo is located in the small town of Agua Negra,
just outside of Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico, about two hours east of Guadalajara.
Dr. Adolfo Murillo's family traces back several generations to Agua Negra, where both his grandfathers helped establish the town many years ago. Dr. Murillo has continued their legacy by contributing to the community, providing employment for the townspeople, helping them better their crops through organic methods, and raising the agricultural potential of the area, where agave had never been cultivated before.

Las Bolas

"Pencas," the agave plant's leaves, protrude from the plant's core, or "bola," above the soil. If the "pencas" are not properly manicured, their excessive growth can cause the plant to distribute its nutrients and juices away from the "bola" and into the leaves. This is not recommendable, as the "bola" is the part of the agave plant where the plant's sugars are concentrated and is used to make tequila.

La Coa

"Jimadores," agave harvesters, use a tool called a "coa,"
a heavy wooden tool with a sharp rounded blade at the end,
to slice off the agave's sharp "penca" leaves.

Pencas

Once the ripest agave plants are selected for harvest, their cut "pencas," leaves, are left to decompose in the fields
to reintegrate into the soil as natural fertilizer.

Jimadores

"Jimadores," men who harvest the agave plants, load trucks with the halved "piñas."
These are sliced in half because the agaves on Rancho Murillo grow to be over double the size of the average plant.

Señor Luis

Señor Luis, the foreman on Rancho Murillo, rolling a "piña," an agave plant without leaves,
out of the field during "la jima," the harvest.