The posh is good for everything: The curious rise of an alcoholic beverage from the Altos of Chiapas

Abstract

The article aims to present the trajectory and upward mobility to which posh has been subjected, an alcoholic beverage that various intellectual agents have attempted to transform into a commodity symbol of the cultural and tourist circuits of the Chiapas Highlands, obscuring its dark path and replacing it with novel narratives that refer to the beverage's ancestry and spirituality. To shed light on its intricate trajectory, the controversial role it played in the economic, political, cultural, and social life of the region throughout the 19th century will be highlighted. Furthermore, emphasis will be placed on its gradual institutionalization in the civic-religious life of communities of tzotzil and tzeltal maya affiliation, the monopoly it was subjected to in the first half of the 20th century, and a source of power conflict between indigenous institutions, local authorities, liquor manufacturers, and the indigenous population. The article will present these dark trajectories and show the new life that has been given to the spirit in the era of neoliberal multiculturalism.