Ancient people of Teotihuacan brewed 'tequila-like' drink as source of food, nutrition

A new study has revealed that people of Teotihuacan in ancient Mexico used to brew a 'tequila-like' drink called "pulque" as source of food and nutrition.

Pulque, the milky-white liquor made from the maguey plant; a relative of the agave used in tequila, is still popular among local residents, Discovery News reported.

Traces of pulque have been found on pottery shards dating at Teotihuacan dating back to 150 B.C.

Pulque was widely used by the Aztecs at the time of the Spanish conquest in 1521

Marisol Correa-Ascencio, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Bristol (UK), said that the beverage was consumed by greater part of the population and it could have helped to compliment the diet of the people.

Researchers used a new approach to identifying chemical residue on the pottery using a lipid biomarker, or a tiny fat molecule that had bonded with the ceramic molecules of the vase-like amphoras that held the pulque and were sealed with pine resin.

The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.