Acocote seeds

In the image, we can see a tlachiquero, whose name comes from the Nahuatl "tlahchiqui," which means "person who scratches." This individual uses his acocote to suck the aguamiel from the maguey, a practice that deeply connects with the traditions of yesteryear.

what is acocote? This is a type of elongated "pumpkin", similar in shape to a cucumber. When it dries, holes are made at both ends

Since ancient times, the acocote has been used as a "siphon" to extract the aguamiel (nectar) from the maguey by suction, which, once fermented, becomes pulque.

Historical chroniclers used the word "acocote" to refer to different plants that had medicinal virtues. According to Clavijero, this plant resembled spikenard, although other chroniclers compared it to fennel. Hernández, for his part, described it as the "weed with the hollow stem."

The origin of the word "acocote" comes from the Nahuatl "acocotli," which derives from "atl," which means "water," and "cocotli," which translates as "esophagus or tube through which a liquid passes." This explains why some chroniclers, such as Garibay, referred to this utensil as a "tragadero."

In addition to its importance in culture and rituals, acocote also had medicinal properties. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún mentioned that the acocote root was used as a remedy to treat leg fractures and cure mouth ulcers.

Instructions inside the packaging.