Balché, Maya Beer
Up the Hatch?
The steering was smooth, the little Corolla was hugging the curves nicely so the Hensleys decided to buzz right through Colima, stay the night in
Lazaro Card##as and have an easy two or three hour drive the next morning along the scenic coast to Acapulco. The plan worked perfectly and they found
a quaint and charming small hotel in Acapulco high on a hill with a wonderful view of the famous harbor.
After a relaxing afternoon by the pool, a little siesta, they found a local restaurant, La Paloma, just two blocks down the hill. The big bamboo bar
looked inviting so they sat there for a drink before dinner. There was a faint whiff of mesquite smoke drifting in from the cooking area that put the
nudge on their saliva glands.
Two bartenders were busy cutting limes and mangos, getting ready for the dinner crowd. The two looked cool and comfortable in their uniforms – both
were short, swarthy with dark hair and mustaches.
“Buenes Tardes, what may I get for you?”
“Everybody’s speaking English now. That’s great.” Said Harold.
“I better speak English. I’m from Seattle. Where are you folks from?”
“Tahoe, we’re vacationing. We just drove in today, our first trip to Acapulco.”
“Well, it’s a great city. I know you’ll enjoy it. Our specialty is Mango Daiquiris.”
Harold and Diane both ordered one. As the bartender set the drinks before them Harold said “We broke down in a little town north of here and a nice
gringo bartender there told us all about pulque, all about the fermenting, the whole process.”
“Did he tell you about the Maya beer, Balché?”
“No, we just drove down the west coast, from Arizona. What is Balché?”
“The Maya invented it. It was a sacred drink from a sacred tree. They took the bark from the Balché tree, hollowed out a fallen log, put the bark
in the depression in the log with some water and honey, let it ferment naturally. Just sweet, Maya beer.
I will admit I heard from good authority that in that raw state it was rough on the stomach so a lot of it was taken anally – they used a smooth,
thin hollowed out bone from some kind of bird. If you’re going home by way of Mexico City you can see scores of glyphs at the museum showing the
bone, the process. There might have been lots of mind-altering plants the Maya learned about, took in this way for sacred and not so sacred rituals.
The stomach and the liver are set up to counter or filter out some things we ingest like drugs, alcohol, alkaloids, so if you wanted the quick effects
of things that otherwise might adversely affect your digestive system, the enema was always the way to go – no I.V. drips or hypo needles back then.
Western U.S. plains Indians wanted the hallucinogens in peyote but couldn’t swallow it without getting sick before the kick. Once, in my wilder
times, I did 20 days in the Men’s Correctional Facility near Las Vegas. A few of the inmate ground keepers cut and stashed some loco weed, datura,
didn’t know how to take it in, ate it. Two died, five others almost died.
Anyway, if you get over to Quitana Roo ask about the drink from the Balché tree, try some Balché, ice cold, in a glass. They refine it now, for the
tourists. Easier on the tummy. Tastes a little like Dr. Pepper to me.”
|
