Porfirian Progress in Mexico City's Pulquerías, 1890–1910

This paper analyzes the efforts of the Mexico City government to curb drunkenness and the proliferation of taverns in the city. By the 1900s, Mexico City had a little more than 720,000 inhabitants, 250 schools, 650 taverns, and almost 1,000 pulquerías (pulque shops). Based on municipal records, this paper shows how the city council implemented different policies trying to stop drunkenness and alcohol sale proliferation, as part of the modernization and urbanization process that characterized Porfirian order and progress. At the same time, it demonstrates how influential pulque producers, closely related to the national and regional government, found ways to continue opening new pulquerías for the fortune of the urban masses.