Jose Cuervo is the best-selling brand of tequila, selling a fifth of the tequila consumed worldwide.
Workers load agave hearts into ovens at the José Cuervo Distillery in Tequila, Mexico.
Tequila is a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands of the central western Mexican state of Jalisco.
Three varieties of tequila
Blue agave fields near Tequila
A distillery oven loaded with agave piñas or "pineapples", the first step in the production of tequila post harvest
A tahona, large stone wheel, at the Hacienda Doña Engracia that was used to crush the piña. Large, modern distilleries commonly complete this process mechanically.