X'tabentun,
liqueur of the Maya

Myths and legends are almost as old as mankind itself. They are born from the interaction of man’s imaginative creativity and reality. Xtabentun, the liquor that the ancient Maya offered to their gods during ceremonies is completely surrounded by a mystic halo.

As for Xtabentun, we find stories of fabulous supernatural beings from Mayan mythology, which in legend form have become fantastic literature that has nothing to ask of that of other cultures.

This magical literature which is alive and well with todays contemporary Maya can be seen in their life styles, habits and traditions.

Amongst the local campesinos/Mayan farmers, there is hardly a person that doesn’t believe in the existence of XKeban, a feminine being or spirit, who puts out nasty traps for young people with the object of hurting or killing them. It is behind the image of XKeban that the spirit of Utz-Colel hides.

In the eyes of the neighbors, Utz-Colel was a good woman, a woman that should be pleased; however, her essence was one of egotism and she had a hard, cold Herat. On the other hand, Xkeban, was the town sinner, she was capable of taking the most valued possessions of the wealthy to help out the poor.

Maybe, because of this, at the death of Xkeban, Mother Nature wanted to pay her honors. The next day, her tomb woke up covered in wonderful flowers that had never before been seen in the land of the Mayab. The entire village was breathing in the fine aroma of the incredible flowers. It is told that that flower, called Xtabentun, is the same one that grows wild in amongst the agave plant leaves. This is the legend of this liquor, native to our state, made with rum, anis and the honey that comes from the Xtabentun flower.

Now adays, members of the masculine sex that know the story, when they taste Xtabentun, say that it is so sweet and intoxicating just as the love of Xkeban must have been.

Barmen tell us that it is common to serve Xtabentun either alone, with ice and honey or simply cold. It is sipped from a small glass that may have a coffee bean in the bottom. There are also those that like to pour a bit into their coffee.

To those that are in the know about Yucatecan gastronomy, they highly recommend a cold glass of the aromatic drink as the perfect ending to a Yucatecan meal of lime soup and some tacos of roasted suckling pig – cochinita pibil.

Text: Yurina Fernandez Noa
Email: yfn1990@hotmail.com

To read in Spanish click here

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