Hacienda Corralejo: Distilling History and Culture

When is a distillery tour not just a distillery tour? When it offers people of all ages colorful history, culture and food beyond the spirits it produces. In Pénjamo, a short drive from Guanajuato City and Leon, Mexico, Hacienda Corralejo is not just a major attraction for tequila aficionados. It is also a popular site for school field trips, given the distillery stands on the grounds of the birthplace of Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, regarded as the father of Mexican Independence.

This fascinating enterprise sprang from the mind of Don Leonardo Rodriguez Moreno, a beverage industry veteran who purchased the hacienda in 1994 and re-launched the Tequila Corralejo brand in 1996 — making it both one of the oldest and the newest tequila distilleries in Mexico. However, Don Leonardo did not buy Corralejo to simply flip it for a profit. Instead, he kept adding features to the hacienda in such a way the final complex (including buildings in other locations, such as the bottling plant) would be one of great cultural value to Mexicans and visitors alike.

The original structures making up the hacienda were built in 1775 by Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagle, a descendant of Spanish royalty, as an agave farm and distillery. Hidalgo grew up among the Sanchez de Tagle’s workers and families, perhaps fueling his later fervor as an activist for a Mexico free from Spanish rule. In addition to various spots that highlight Hidalgo’s life and efforts to unite his fellow Mexicans, some courtyard walls are emblazoned with murals dedicated to historic and cultural figures from the area. There are also numerous colonial-era farming artifacts, recreated rooms with antique furniture (some still in use), a representation of a company store where resident workers purchased provisions and interesting collections of spirits bottles, promotional paraphernalia and photographs.

Coralejo Chocolate Shop. Photo: Elyse Glickman

Kids will also get a kick out of the working artisanal food producers (including production facilities for El Trashumante sheep cheeses, chocolates and coffee roasting), which Don Leonardo says he installed to help preserve local food culture. Closer to Guanajuato, he opened a leather “museum” earlier this year, with leather crafting demonstrations and information about the region’s history of leather production alongside bags, jackets and accessories for sale.

While tours of the Hacienda and access to the other buildings are free of charge, a few extra dollars can buy a wonderful group breakfast or luncheon with elegant renderings of homespun food by Fabiola, Don Leonardo’s chef and kitchen manager. Through most of the year, brunch ($150 pesos/$7 per person) includes family-style platters of chilaquiles, huevos a la Mexicana (scrambled eggs, Mexican style), handmade tortillas, fresh-squeezed orange juice, seasonal fruit, costillas de puerco en chile pasilla (pork ribs in a chile pasilla sauce), and a multitude of condiments and salsas. A plated, multicourse lunch ($350 pesos/$18 per person) may include enchiladas, chile rellenos, soups, mole-covered meats, roasted chicken, agua frescas (fruit-infused water), buñuelos (donuts) and (naturally) tequila. The courtyards, formal dining rooms and Fabiola’s talents are also available for weddings and other large family gatherings, often resulting in most of December’s openings being sold out.

Hacienda Corralejo. Photo: Elyse Glickman

Pénjamo is also home to archaeological site Plazuelas, whose pyramids are just the right size and scale to introduce young adventurers to pre-Columbian architecture and history as opposed to the popular but steep and imposing Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan sites. A nice museum housing surviving statues, tools and currency provides a nice introduction to the outdoor ruins along with insight into the day-to-day lives of the area’s original inhabitants.

A night’s stay at Real de Piedra

fits right in with a day at the hacienda and an exploration of a past civilization. The converted hacienda has a similar feel to masserias, fortified farm complexes found in Puglia and Calabria, Italy. Much like its Italian counterparts, the property’s converted suites and public areas are effortlessly rustic-chic, decorated with contrasting antiques and contemporary pieces.

Real de Piedra owner Enrique Garcia, also an experienced interior designer, put special effort into the restaurant. The breakfast menu concentrates on farm-fresh traditional Mexican breakfast dishes, while the dinner menu seamlessly fuses the styles of Central and Pacific Mexico. Fresh Pacific fish and shrimp are brought down to earth with just-made salsas and seasoned breading. Breakfast enchiladas and omelets are hearty, but balanced out with fresh citrus and tangy condiments. The property’s collection of teas and tisanes liven up the check-in area and add an extra touch of warmth tempting one to spend the day in its sunny courtyard with a good book.