The Rise and Fall of the Mezcal Monkey
The glass bottles of mezcal that grace your liquor store shelves have not always been that way. Within the last century, mezcal was stored in large 25+ liter jugs. As it became more popular in Mexican bars, ceramic artisans began styling liter sized bottles in the shapes of women, penises, and monkeys known as changos. For a couple decades, the chango ruled, but plastic and glass killed it. Santa Maria Coyotepec is the homeland of the chango mezcalero and other fine black ceramics.