The Agave Heritage Festival

Join the celebration of a thousand years of agave cultivation by American Indians of the Southwest and indigenous peoples of Mexico, and Central and South America.

CreditAgave Heritage Festival

The ancient agave in the Sonoran Desert has a sweetness and flavor that is so popular that you can still taste libations made from the heart of this plant at the Agave Heritage Festival, with 23 different events every April since 2008.

The Agave Heritage Festival celebrates the history of the Agave plant and its contributions to the culture and gastronomy of the Sonoran Desert region, including southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. Some of the events include tastings, lectures, workshops, guided tours of ancient and modern agave preparation sites, and various artistic performances (film, music, paintings, and dance) related to agave culture.

Agave was cultivated on a very large scale by the Hohokam people in Marana dating back 1,000 years. The high number of agave plants that were farmed in a single area, upwards of tens of thousands, attest to how important this plant was as a food source, fiber source, and trade commodity.

Descendant plants of the ancient Agaves farmed by the Hohokam people in the Tortolita Fan in present-day Marana, maintained by Drs. Suzy and Paul Fish. Drs. Fish & Fish use the same rock-pile technique that the indigenous peoples used to support the plants and protect them early on in their lives. Photo Credit: Ryan Wissmann.

In ancient times, the roasting of agave hearts was an event that drew people from all around. Agave cultivation occurred in important centers or municipal seats of power that put agave to many uses including durable goods that could be traded.

Don't miss your chance to experience some of the ancient, and some of the delicious contemporary uses of agave.

Mezcal Cocktails, which you can enjoy during the "Mezcrawl" event of the festival. Mezcal is one of the most common beverages created from the Agave plant. Photo: Agave Heritage Festival.

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