One such tradition is Mezcal, a distilled spirit that dates back to Spanish colonial times. Prior to Spanish arrival, indigenous communities consumed pulque, a fermented but not distilled alcoholic beverage produced from the agave plant. With the introduction of distilleries, and the need to rely on local plants for alcohol production, the Spanish and indigenous produced a stronger, and notably smoky, spirit from the same agave plant eventually termed mezcal. Here also lies the origin of tequila (the place name for a village in western Mexico) yet the important distinction between mezcal and tequila lies in the distillation process. Whereas tequila is twice distilled using a steaming process, mezcal relies on an underground roasting process; from which comes its distinctive smoky flavor.