Guest Lecturer: Dr. Ronda Brulotte

This presentation explores Oaxacan mezcal as a newcomer to the global market. Not only is mezcal one of Oaxaca’s fastest growing rural industries, but it also connects the region to a vast network of producers, brokers, and consumers across the U.S.- Mexico border and beyond. Mezcal may be joining more well-known foods of Mexican origin commonplace in U.S. markets (corn, chile, chocolate), but its popularity is distinctly tied to the creation of a new class of global food consumers who prize mezcal as craft within the artisanal food movement; at the same time, its growing popularity is spurring questions about the sustainability of the industry and the development taking place in Oaxaca more generally.

Dr. Ronda Brulotte is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Brulotte is an interdisciplinary scholar with training in sociocultural anthropology and Latin American studies whose research focuses on craft economies, cultural heritage, and material culture in Mexico. Her books include Between Art and Artifact: Archaeological Replicas & Cultural Production in Oaxaca, Mexico (2012), Edible Identities: Food as Cultural Heritage (2014) (co-edited with Michael A. Di Giovine), and Mezcal in Oaxaca: A Craft Spirit for the Global Marketplace (2025).