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Guadalupe Mountains National Park Hosts Mescal Roast

  Salt Flat, TX – Guadalupe Mountains National Park will host its third annual “Mescal Roast” on Sunday, May 3 and the public is invited to participate in this free event.  Visitors should plan to arrive at the Pine Springs Visitor Center by 8:30 a.m.to prepare for the 9 a.m. opening of the roasting pit. The mescal, a type of agave plant that is native to the Chihuahuan Desert, will be unearthed and offered for tasting as part of Mescalero Apache celebrations that include a coming-of-age ritual for Mescalero Apache girls.

“We are excited to join with the Mescalero community in returning this celebration for the third year in a row. We look forward to even greater collaboration with all the tribes who have long-standing historic, cultural and traditional ties to the Guadalupe Mountains,” said Darren Bryant, interim superintendent of the park.  

Mescalero Apache Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Holly Houghten said, “We greatly appreciate the park aiding the tribe in harvesting and roasting of the mescal agave again this year. Prior to being placed on the reservation, the Mescalero people lived, hunted and gathered in the Guadalupe Mountains. The Mescalero community looks forward to the spring harvesting of the mescal as a way to reconnect with traditional homelands and to pass on cultural traditions to the next generation.”

 The mescal plant has always been an important staple for the Mescalero Apaches. Mescal agave is harvested and the heart of the plant is placed in an earthen hearth, layered with soaked bear grass and burlap bags, covered with dirt and left to roast for four days infusing a sweet, smoky, earthy taste.

 Park information is available on the park’s website www.nps.gov/gumo or by telephone 915-828-3251 ext. 2124. The visitor center is open daily (except December 25) from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 

Inforamtion from NPS