On this episode we hear from the world's first woman to become a certified maestra tequilera. Bertha González Nieves started the small batch tequila company Casa Dragones in 2008, with the hopes of elevating how people consume and think about tequila. Since then, the brand has gained a loyal following.
"We're trying to open the curtain and showcase, really, the sophistication of Mexico," says González Nieves.
In this conversation, González Nieves talks about how she began working in the tequila business, and how she hopes her projects shape the contemporary understanding of Mexico.
We also talk to journalist Alfredo Corchado about his book Homelands: Four Friends, Two Countries, & the Fate of the Great Mexican-American Migration.
Corchado discusses his experience of emigrating to the United States as a child, and how his experience as an immigrant growing up in the Southwest influenced his perspective as a journalist. His work questions a reality for many immigrants - was the sacrifice worth the lives they build in the United States?
