Low tourist influx, marketing of products that do not respect the original recipe and lack of promotion, are some of the challenges facing the production of Yolixpa, the traditional drink of Cuetzalan del Progreso, considered as a “medicine for the soul or heart” .
María Francisca Mina Mora, a woman of Masehual origin from this municipality, has dedicated herself to the production of this ancestral drink, with the same products that were shown to her by her family, when the drink was only used as a remedy.
“We are in times where people return to nature to heal our bodies. Yolixpa is a drink that, although it cures, is not fully known, it is not spread and the value it has for its use as an alternative medicine is not given, which it can be within everyone’s reach”, he affirms while showing the variety of packaging available in his small shop.
It is presumed that the origin of this drink was in the town of San Andrés Tzicuilan, one of the most culturally important in the municipality, where a fair dedicated to its commercialization is organized every August. Some producers are suspicious that artificial flavors and colors are beginning to be integrated.
According to Marlene Cabrera, daughter of María Francisca, until very recently the preparation became popular as a commercial drink, since previously it was only a traditional local drink and each family had its own recipe for self-consumption.
HEART MEDICINE
The word Yolixpa comes from the Nahuatl “yolix” which means chest or heart and “pajti”, medicine, so in its name it bears the reference that it is a “medicine of the heart”.
According to the interviewee, the drink was used by the ancestors who had the wisdom and recognition of healing plants, who made a concoction combining herbs with cane liquor, it was applied to the chest to mitigate the discomfort caused by the changes. climate of the region.
Over time, they added various healing plants and realized that drinking a little of this drink healed some ailments such as bile, respiratory tract, digestive problems, nerves, stress, menstrual cramps, impressions (frights), among other physical ailments. and emotional.
In the region there is a variety of plants that are used for Yolixpa, for example: maltantsin, chamomile, wormwood, lemon balm and mint.
“It is worth going back to look at what our Nahua ancestors left us, not only for those of the region, but also to share with other people in other spaces,” says María Francisca, while showing other recipes to which peppermint and rue are added. , among other.
María Francisca has a family micro-enterprise called Productora Cabremi that for more than 30 years has been dedicated to the transformation of citrus fruits, seeds, chili peppers and healing herbs from the region into artisanal food products, jams, sauces, wines, liqueurs and bulls, in addition to to be one of the few places where the original recipe is respected with natural silvers, with cane liquor, without preservatives, colors or artificial flavors.
In 2018 they innovated with the creation of a Yolixpa tisane (tea), designed for people who do not consume alcohol but who require the benefits of the diversity of herbs it contains and whose recipe changes between original families that produce it, with varieties that They use from 25 to 32 different herbs.
MACERATION
According to the producers consulted, one of the secrets of this drink is the maceration of the herbs, which, on average, takes two months. Then piloncillo or honey is added, depending on the variety that is being prepared sweet, soft or strong, reaching up to 25 degrees of alcohol.
It is mostly green, although if piloncillo or panela is used (some recipes use sugar), it acquires a brown color, although there are families who prefer to add other ingredients besides grass, for example, citrus fruits.
It is a drink used by the original Nahuatl and Totonac-speaking peoples of the Sierra Norte Northeast of Puebla, even the European conquerors included it as a remedy after arriving in these lands. Its ingredients also help improve digestion, relax the body after long hours of work and even to cure “empacho”.
It is not only used as a tea or drink, it is also spread to relieve muscular discomfort in the chest, neck and back, relaxes the feet and is also used to relieve cold symptoms and when mixed with hot water for bathing, it is used to facilitate the labors of childbirth, calms the cough.
In a climate like that of Cuetzalan, Yolixpa is also used as a gastronomic ingredient, its most common presentations are popsicles and creams, although skimos and frappé have also been added. Some usually give children a drink to calm tantrums, animal bites or skin irritations caused by the weather or when they are feeling sad.