Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/590

570 into Mexico at the commencement of the present century, but little attention was paid to its culture until 1818-19, when large plantations were laid out in the neighborhood of Córdoba and Orizaba in Vera Cruz. Shortly afterward this industry was introduced into the valleys of Cuautla and Cuernavaca, and has since gradually extended to Tabasco, Colima, Oajaca, Michoacan, Chiapas, and elsewhere. The encouragement given to the cultivation of this plant by the government has been persistent, but for many years its progress was slow, owing to the limited consumption, chocolate being the favorite beverage of the Mexican. It was only when the advantages offered by the exportation of the article became more evident that the cultivation increased. Of the future development of this agricultural industry, there can be no doubt. Its rapid progress is perceptible from the exportations of coffee by way of Vera Cruz for the years 1877 and 1883, which were respectively 60,000 and 141,493 quintals.

The maguey, or pulque plant — agave Americana — is one of the most important productions of Mexico. Considering the variety of uses to which the plant subserves, the little care and trouble required in its