Lauren Dogaer and Aurea Toxqui explore the drinking cultures of the Maya, Inca, and Aztecs, revealing how beverages such as balché, chicha, and pulque shaped ritual, politics, and social life in Latin America.
In the ninth episode of Drunk On History, host Lauren Dogaer talks with Aurea Toxqui to explore the history of alcohol in Latin America. Together, they travel across the Maya, Inca, and Aztec worlds, examining the drinks people made, the ways they consumed them, and the roles alcohol played in everyday and ceremonial life. The conversation explores Maya beverages such as saqqa and balché, including their connections to agriculture and ritual practices. Aurea also discusses Inca chicha, exploring how communal feasting and drinking helped reinforce social relationships and political hierarchies, before turning to Aztec pulque and the rules that governed its consumption. From sacred ceremonies and ritual practices to feasting, social obligations, and the impact of the Spanish conquest, this episode reveals how alcohol was woven into the religious, political, and cultural life of ancient Latin American societies.
