Since before the Spanish conquest, there had been fermented alcoholic beverages. The best known of these is pulque, which is the fermented sap of the maguey or agave plant.[5] More similar to beer is a lesser-known beverage called tesgüino or izquiate brewed by various cultures. This is made from fermented corn and creates light, amber colored liquid which is whisked before drinking. Tesgüino can still be found in Mexico today, mostly homemade, in the north and west of Mexico in states such as Chihuahua, Sonora and Colima. Among the Tarahumaras, the drink is used for rituals. A similar beverage, called pozol, is made in Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco with corn and cocoa beans.[1][2][5]
Beer brewed with grain such as barley was produced in small quantities by Hernán Cortés’ soldiers, but it was limited due to the lack of supplies.[1] The first official concession to brew European style beer was granted to Alfonso de Herrero in 1543 or 1544. Its exact location is unknown, but it is thought to have been located in the south of Mexico City (where Metro Portales is today) or in Amecameca, Mexico State.[1][2] Herrera's brewery struggled during its first years, as alcohol consumption was highly regulated by authorities and the new brew had to compete with native beverages.[3] It was also more expensive due to the lack of ingredients. However, the beverage caught on as it was drunk by colonial authorities, leading others to want it as well. Herrera worked to expand his brewery and the land on which wheat and barley were raised.[2] In the long run, Herrero's brewery did not survive and the production of European style beverages such as beer and wine were heavily taxed and heavily regulated by Spain to protect home markets. The purpose of this was to make colonials import these products from Europe. While the policy mostly worked, beer brewing never entirely ceased.[2].[1] In the years just before independence, beer consumption was becoming established in Mexico, leading to disputes over the rights to produce it. Englishmen Gillons and Mairet, Miguel Ramos Arizpe and Justino Tuallion all claimed exclusive rights to produce beer in Mexico. After the end of the war, the beer produced by the Tuallion brewery was the most popular.[3] After the war, colonial restrictions were gone and the industry was allowed to develop,[2] starting in the 1820s.[6] In 1845, a barley beer flavored with piloncillo was introduced with the names of Pila Seca and La Candelaria by Swiss Bernhard Boldgard and Bavarian Federico Herzog.[6]
The industry truly began to develop in the latter half of the 19th century, due to an influx of German immigrants to Mexico and the short-lived Second Mexican Empire headed by emperor Maximilian I of Mexico of the House of Habsburg, an Austro-Germanic ruling family. The emperor had his own brewer, who produced Vienna style dark beers. This influence can be seen in two popular brands of Negra Modelo and Dos Equis Ambar
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