Mezcal Apprenticeship
Season: December through April
Oaxaca, Mexico · Apprenticeship
Mezcal
Apprenticeship
For a few days, you stop being a tourist. You become an apprentice at the palenque — splitting agave at sunrise, tending the smoke from the earthen oven, learning a craft that lives in fire, time, and the hands of one family.
All-inclusive. Lodging, meals, and instruction with Don Aurelio.
- LocationSantiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Group size2–4 apprentices
- Skill levelTotal beginners welcome
- LanguagesSpanish + English
- SeasonOctober – May
"Mezcal is not made in a still. It is made in the patience of the people who tend it."
What this is
Not a distillery tour.
An apprenticeship.
You'll live at Don Aurelio's family compound — a working palenque on the dusty hill above Santiago Matatlán, the village that calls itself the world capital of mezcal. There are no factory tours, no branded gift shops, no scripted tastings.
Each morning you're at the palenque by 7. You split the roasted agave hearts with a machete. You walk behind the tahona as the horse turns the stone. You feed the pine vats, watch the fermentation breathe, and stay up with Don Aurelio for the cuts on the still. By the end of your stay, you're not watching — you're working.
This is for someone who already loves mezcal and wants to understand it from the earth up. It's also for someone who has never tasted it. Don Aurelio teaches both, slowly, by hand.
A typical day
From the agave field to the still
Coffee on the porch
Café de olla, fresh pan dulce, and the day's plan. You can hear the agave fields from here.
At the palenque
Splitting roasted agave, loading the tahona, or tending the horno — depending on where the batch is. Hands-in alongside Don Aurelio and his sons.
Comida with the family
Tlayudas, mole negro, fresh tortillas off the comal — whatever Doña Marta has on the fire. Long, slow, around the family table.
Field walk or tasting flight
Some afternoons we walk the agave fields — espadín, tobalá, madrecuixe — and learn the plants. Others, blind tastings in the cool of the bodega.
The still
Distillation runs into the evening. You'll learn the cuts — heads, body, tails — by smell, by feel, by drop. This is where the craft lives.
Cena under the stars
Family, neighbors, sometimes the whole street. A copita is poured. The fire stays lit late.
What's included
Everything but the flight
Included
- Private room at the family compound
- All meals, every day
- Mezcal with comida and cena
- Daily instruction with Don Aurelio
- Tasting journal you take home
- Airport transfer from Oaxaca (OAX)
Outings
- Tlacolula Sunday market visit
- Wild agave walk in the sierra
- Visit to a neighbor's clay-pot still
- Mitla ruins on a rest day
- Cupping at a second palenque
Not included
- Flights to Oaxaca
- Travel insurance
- Personal bottles to take home
- Restaurant meals on free days
- Visas (none required for most)
Your host
Don Aurelio
Don Aurelio is a fourth-generation maestro mezcalero. He learned from his father, who learned from his. The family has worked this hill outside Santiago Matatlán for almost a century. His mezcal is not on a shelf in any city — it stays in the village, with the people who helped make it.
He has welcomed apprentices to the palenque since 2017. Many come back. A few have come back three times.
"I don't teach mezcal. The agave teaches you. I just stand next to you while it does."
Choose your stay
Three, seven, or fourteen days
3 days
A taste
$1,190
per person, all-inclusive
- 2 nights at the family compound
- 3 days at the palenque
- All meals included
- Tlacolula market visit
- Oaxaca airport transfer
7 days
The apprenticeship
$2,650
per person, all-inclusive
- 6 nights at the family compound
- Full batch — agave to bottle
- Wild agave sierra walk
- Tasting journal you take home
- Oaxaca airport transfer
14 days
Deep stay
$4,900
per person, all-inclusive
- 13 nights at the family compound
- Two full distillation runs
- Visit to a clay-pot still
- Day at a neighbor's palenque
- Oaxaca airport transfer
Questions
Before you book
Do I need to know anything about mezcal?
No. About half of apprentices arrive without much context. Don Aurelio teaches from the agave plant up. The other half are mezcal lovers who want to understand the craft from the inside.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
No. Don Aurelio's son Mateo speaks fluent English and is at the palenque most days. Some Spanish helps at the family table — but most learning here is in the hands.
Is the work physical?
Some of it. Splitting agave and feeding the horno take real effort. You can opt out of any task, and there's always something to do at the still or the tasting bench instead. Tell us about any limitations and we'll plan around them.
Can I bring a partner who isn't apprenticing?
Yes. Non-working partners are welcome at meals and rest-day outings. There's a $890 stay-and-eat add-on for 7-day bookings.
How do I get there?
Fly into Oaxaca (OAX). Airport transfer to the village is included. Mexico City (MEX) works too — short connecting flight or a 7-hour ADO bus into Oaxaca.
Cancellation policy?
Full refund up to 60 days before. 50% refund 30–60 days before. Within 30 days the booking is non-refundable, but we'll work with you to reschedule into the same season.
Step into the palenque.
Small groups, real apprenticeships. Tell us when you'd like to come — we'll confirm dates within 48 hours.
Request your datesWhat’s Included
● Hands-on participation in the daily rhythm of an artisanal mezcal palenque
● Learning alongside experienced mezcal producers and those around them
● Breakfast each morning
● Lunch each day
● Accommodation, depending on the option selected
● Pre-arrival information and booking coordination
Dinner is not included.
Lodging Options
You may choose the stay that best fits your travel style:
Option 1
Stay near or at the host property
Included in the price
Option 2
Stay at a small hotel or guesthouse nearby
Included in the price
Option 3
Book a hotel or Airbnb of your choice
Not included unless otherwise arranged
Extras You May Add
These can be scheduled separately and are not included in the apprenticeship price.
Mezcal-related
Mezcal tasting with a specialist
Visit to a second palenque
Agave and terroir experience
Guided mezcal bar evening in Oaxaca
Cultural
Oaxaca market visit
Textile workshop
Village day trip
Traditional cooking experience
Adventure
Hierve el Agua excursion
Hiking day
Nature outing outside Oaxaca
Private driver for regional exploration