The 17th annual Agave Heritage Festival kicked off Thursday at Mission Garden, a site on Tucson’s west side believed to be one of the oldest places where agriculture took root in the Americas.
The opening event featured a volunteer agave planting, connecting participants with centuries of local and Indigenous tradition tied to the resilient desert plant.
“I think it’s a good way to kick things off,” said Alyce Sadongei, executive director of Mission Garden. “Because all of the mezcal, all of the food? It starts with the plant! It’s the plant itself. And as I was telling people before it started — when you plant, you have to plant with good thoughts and a good clean heart, and help the plant grow.”
Mission Garden, located at the base of Sentinel Peak, is a living agricultural museum that represents 4,000 years of continuous cultivation along the Santa Cruz River.
Archaeological evidence shows that Indigenous communities have long cultivated agave for food, fiber and spiritual purposes.
“This is where it all started! People were here when the Spanish came,” said Dena Cowan, curator of collections at Mission Garden. “It’s been semi-domesticated, over the millennia, by people living here and grown for food and for fiber.”
The ceremonial planting drew volunteers from across the country, including Dori Rivera, who traveled from Chicago to participate.
Rivera, who recently purchased a home in Durango, Mexico, said her connection to the agave plant runs deep.
“I’ve decided recently to buy a home there, and the history there goes pretty deep as far as with the Tetevano Indians and others who have harvested agave for centuries,” she said. “It’s really meaningful to just be able to touch and do and feel. There’s nothing like that.”
Mission Garden extended its Thursday hours until 7:30 p.m. for the event.
The Agave Heritage Festival will continue throughout Tucson through the weekend, with events including tastings, lectures and culinary experiences.
For a full list of events, check out this article by reporter Maria Staubs.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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