Doña Crispina grew up on her family's palenque in Santiago Matatlán. She married her teenage sweetheart José Cortés, and they enjoyed a lifetime of loving marriage. A pillar of strength for the family, Doña Crispina instilled important lessons into the lives of her children, and grandchildren; especially remembering to honor their elders, ancestors and culture. Doña Crispina’s resolve was ultimately rewarded when her family earned international respect and recognition, not only for the mezcal they produce, but also for their steadfast work to respectfully grow the mezcal industry.

Rolando Cortés is a fifth generation member of the Cortés family and currently serves as CEO of the Casa Cortés company. The youngest son of José and Crispina Cortés, Rolando grew up on his family’s palenques in Santiago Matatlán, where he learned the value of his Zapotec culture and its inherent ties to mezcal. Twenty years ago, with the mezcal category still in a nascent stage, Rolando successfully set out to get his family’s traditional mezcal placed in this burgeoning market, and in 2010 expanded their catalog with the widely-acclaimed international releases.

Gregorio Martinez Jarquín works in his hometown of Santiago Matatlán, where he began producing mezcal at the age of 13 alongside his family members, meaning he has 40 years of experience in his trade. In his youth, Gregorio was friends with the Cortés brothers and in 2003 he married Epi Cortés, the daughter of Don José and Crispina Cortés. Shortly thereafter, he began working at the "De Cortés" family palenque, where he now serves as the head distiller.

Francisco Cortés is a maestro mezcalero living in his hometown in Santiago Matatlán. For most of his life, Francisco Cortés worked closely on the palenques with his father Don José. While in his 30's, Francisco helped Don José restore the palenque he owned as a young man. Francisco is now the owner and caretaker of his father’s original palenque, the site of numerous Cortés family stories and folklore. With four decades of experience making mezcal, Francisco earned his own title as a maestro mezcalero in the Cortés family.

Pedro Vásquez is a third generation mezcalero from the remote region of Lachiguí. The landscape there is a nearly impenetrable zone in the Sierra Sur Mountains, stacked with miles of jagged mountains rising up from valleys filled with deep shadows and ancient secrets. Tio Pedro is one of the most experienced mezcaleros working in this area, and as the years have passed, his three sons, Librado, Eugenio, and Pedro Jr., have taken on larger roles at the palenque. Under the guidance of their father, they have become maestro mezcaleros themselves, and recently, even their sons have begun to work hands-on in the palenque. This has created a moving scene of three generations of one family working together, and it has fulfilled the fathers’ promises to pass on these traditions to their children. ⁣

In memoriam to the late Maestro Rafael Méndez Cruz. (1954-2021)

“Don Rafa” was a maestro mezcalero, an outdoorsman, a farmer, but most notably he was a proud husband, a father to eleven children, and an especially generous friend and family man. Visitors to his home in San Luis del Río would be invited in like old friends and leave feeling like family. Don Rafa’s larger-than-life character and his exceptional skills as a mezcalero for over fifty years made him revered in his hometown and renowned throughout the mezcal world.

In a half century of making mezcal, Ignacio “Don Chucho” Parada has dedicated his life to the craft of making traditional mezcal. He has risen from being a young apprentice on the palenque to a respected Don in both his local community and on the international mezcal stage. Don Ignacio Parada comes from Santa María Zoquitlán, a small town cradled by two converging river valleys and flanked with steep hillsides studded with rare agaves such as Jabalí and Tepeztate. It is within this wondrous territory of rugged ridgelines and sweeping river basins where Ignacio works with his son José, who is following in his footsteps as the next generation of a Parada family mezcalero. When the father and son duo are not working their fields, Don Chuco enjoys playing cards with his pals at the palenque on lazy Sunday afternoons.

osé Parada started making mezcal under the guidance of his father, Igancio “Don Chucho” Parada, before he was even a teenager. In the following twenty-two years, he has accrued the knowledge and experience rarely found in someone his age. At 34-years-old, José has already ascended to the level of maestro mezcalero.

Valentín Cortes is eldest son of Don José, and along with his brothers they represents the fifth generation of Cortés family mezcaleros. Born and raised in Santiago Matatlán, Don Valentín has been working with mezcal since he was a young teenager. Valentín’s impeccable eye for detail, commitment to quality, and immense knowledge for his craft, helped elevate his personal reputation and his family’s mezcales to international notoriety. With over 40 years of experience and success, he has solidified his status as one of Matalán’s finest mezcaleros. His new ventures with his son Asis, and their partners in Durango, ensures that Valentin’s impact on the mezcal world will not only survive, but expand far beyond the borders of his home state of Oaxaca.

Asis Cortés is the grandson of Don José, and the eldest son of Valentín Cortés. Asis grew up on his family's palenque in Santiago Matatlán, later studying design and marketing in Oaxaca City. In his twenties, Asis became a prominent figure in his family’s business, working as Casa Cortés, chief graphic designer. He created the iconic abstract imagery that would become synonymous with his family’s renowned mezcales. Asis also travelled the world as an ambassador of Casa Cortés, educating the wider world on mezcal, its ancient backstory and his family’s role in that history. Steeped in knowledge, Asis is well-known and respected in the global mezcal community for his spiritual and artistic approach to understanding and sharing the importance of mezcal culture.