Mi Oaxaca seeks to preserve Oaxaca’s cultural wealth through storytelling, education, and collaboration as a means to create worlds that are more reciprocal and equitable.

Mi Oaxaca’s, An Introduction to Mezcal Through Indigenous Worldviews is designed to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to effect socially and culturally responsible engagement of participants in the mezcal industry and with Indigenous Oaxacan culture. This fast-paced course is intended to provide learners with both macro and micro concepts as they relate to mezcal, and the people and places where mezcal has been produced before there was a formal market. Modules include an anti-Indigenous training, Indigenous intellectual and cultural history, customary indigenous law, the art and science of mezcal making, geography, economics, politics, and cultural and social responsibility. Learners can opt to receive a certificate of completion.

Course Schedule: Tuesdays for 6 weeks from 10am - 12pm (Pacific Time)

Course Start & End Date: April 8 - May 13, 2025 

Course Location: Zoom (provided after enrollment)

Enrollment Link: Coming soon!

Course Fee: Sliding scale $360-$1,440.

This introductory course is intended for a broad audience. We are most interested in having the following groups take the course:

• Diasporic-Indigenous Oaxacans 

• BIPOC hospitality/service industry workers

• Bar and restaurant owners that sell mezcal and other cultural products from Oaxaca

• Latine people who are intentionally reconnecting with their roots

• Consumers who want to make more informed decisions about mezcales they enjoy

• People who know that the current food system is harmful and believe that it could be different.

• Indigenous-diasporic undocumented and DACAmented Oaxaqueñes to the front!!

Across all aspects of the mezcal supply chain, decisions are made that either support the preservation of Indigenous lifeways and ecological knowledge or harm it.

Therefore, the primary goal of this educational intervention is to activate critical thinking about our food and drink systems and how it intersects with culture, ecosystems, politics, and identity.

The secondary goal of this course is to encourage learners to create models and consumer practices that are more equitable, reciprocal, and honor the cultures who safeguarded the goods we get to enjoy today.

Traditional ecological knowledge is prioritized because mezcal and the natural world are inextricably linked.

This course brings together various experiences in and outside the formal mezcal supply chain. Instructors are Indigenous-diasporic Oaxacan professors and professionals, alcohol industry consultants and business owners, as well as professionals in the fields of public health, and agro-economy.

• ~ 12 hours of classroom instruction and activities 

• Unlimited access to module and lesson materials, including course recordings 

• Community of individuals to co-create new standards of cultural appreciation

• Digital swag bag with music playlist, Mi Oaxaca’s visitor guide, and other goodies.

• Must be 21+ if living in the U.S. 

• Access to the internet and an email account for course participation and communication.

• Language: This class will be offered in English with Spanish (and some Zapotec) words and phrases used throughout. Students are not expected to be fluent in Spanish, but familiarity with the language is highly encouraged. 

• Attendance: Learners are highly encouraged to attend class. If learners are absent, they will be able to watch the recorded lectures, but not the group discussions. For those electing to receive a certificate of completion, learners must attend or watch all modules. 

• Participation: We welcome learners to make their learning experiences as comfortable for them as possible. We encourage self-care practices (stay hydrated, fed, stretch etc.) and we won’t be offended if you have your camera off. We also want to state that having cameras on helps us build trust and connection.

4/8/25 - Course Introduction & Orientation

• Orientation & Introductions

• Anti-Indigeneity Training: How Indigenous Lifeways get co-opted by nation states

• Office Hours

4/15/25 - Place and Product: Oaxaca’s Geography and Mezcal

• Lesson 1 - Oaxaca’s Geography

• Lesson 2 - Mezcal Processes and uses before the boom

• Office Hours

4/22/25 - Indigenous vs Western Systems and Culture

• Lesson 3 - Indigenous Intellectual and Cultural History

• Lesson 4 - Customary Indigenous Law in Oaxaca

• Office Hours

4/29/25 - Social & Cultural Responsibility

• Lesson 5 - Commercialization in Mexico

• Lesson 6 - Supply Chain from MX to US

• Office Hours

5/6/25 - Economics, Public Health & Systems Change

• Lesson 7 - Agro-Economics

• Lesson 8 - Equity & Justice in Public Health, Food, and Climate

5/13/25 - Course Integration & Closing

• Integration

• Course Wrap-up 

• Office Hours