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UNESCO names Agave Tequila fields as World Heritage site
Finally, the UN does something useful.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Tequila may have blurred the memory of many a drinker, but the Agave fields that produce it won’t soon be forgotten after UNESCO put them on its list of World Heritage sites.

Residents of Mexico’s mountainous Jalisco state on Wednesday toasted the addition of their blue-tinged, Tequila-producing Agave landscape to the list of places “considered to be of outstanding value to humanity,” in the words of the UN cultural agency’s Web site. “We are very emotional,” said Yadira Gaytan, the assistant mayor of the town of Tequila in Jalisco state. “There is a lot of joy among people here because we have been waiting for this for a long time.”

The cactus-like Agave plant, which is native to the area, is grown in abundance around Tequila to meet the world’s thirst for the fiery liquor. The sprawling blue fields make for an impressive spectacle, even from overflying passenger jets. Located about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of the city of Guadalajara, the town of Tequila is packed with breweries and cantinas, and most of its 60,000 residents work in the spirits industry or in its spillover tourism sector.

Gaytan predicted that being a World Heritage site would bring more visitors and investment to the region.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-07-14
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=159168