Tequila is a distilled alcoholic beverage made primarily from the blue agave plant in Mexico. Its origins can be traced back to a beverage called pulque, produced in Central America before the region was colonized by Spain in the 16th Century. Just like Tequila (which is technically a form of mezcal), pulque was fermented from pulped agave. The production process and choice of raw materials has become more refined over the centuries; modern-day Tequila is made only from the "heart" of blue agave (Agave tequilana Weber azul).