The Legend of the 400 Rabbits
Pulque doesn't get you intoxicated, it gets you magical!
The number 400 represents the infinity in the pre-Hispanic worldview
The legend of the 400 rabbits was originally born from the pulque tradition due to the age of this ancient drink.
The 400 rabbits was a worldview about sidereal states of consciousness, this meant that there were 400 ways (infinite) to get drunk or in other words, 400 different states of consciousness; for example; euphoric, romantic, aggressive, melancholic, happy, and even magical.
Mayahuel, the Mexica goddess of maguey
Within the mythology of pulque, there is Mayahuel. She is one of the deities related to the earth, and in that sense, she is twinned with other deities such as Tonantzin. Mayahuel is also considered a fertility goddess and she's represented as a woman with a blue-toned body peeking out of a maguey stalk.
Her children were Centzon Totochtzin, or the 400 countless rabbits, whom she fed with pulque through her many breasts.
Wikipedia (08-Nov-2020). Mayáhuel. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/May%C3%A1huel
It is believed that pulque was combined with other types of herbs to achieve visionary states of consciousness. Although this hasn't been proven, it is said that those were the first attempts of pulque Alchemy. There is now a hole culture of pulque mixology with different flowers, seeds and fruits, broadly known as Curados.
Pulque is the oldest fermented beverage in Mexico.
Many years ago, the inhabitants of the time saw that a mountain rabbit came out of the maguey and tumbled around. They observed the holes that the animal had made around the maguey as well as the "water" (agave sap) that was leaking out, so they began to do the same.
When the agave sap (aguamiel) was left to rest for a few days, pulque was discovered!
Hence, rabbits are credited with the discovery of agave sap (aguamiel) and eventually pulque! For this reason, the rabbit is the representative icon of Pulque Octli Conejo Blanco.
