Dr. Maria de los Ángeles Sánchez Contreras, 53, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry Science, preserves GRAN MAIZAL's proprietary yeast strains for whisky fermentation at the laboratory of the Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design of the State of Jalisco (CIATEJ), located within the Yucatán Science and Technology Park in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico on Wednesday, December 06, 2023. GRAN MAIZAL is a Mexican whisky made with ancient varieties of corn from the Yucatán Peninsula, including the oldest recognized lineage in the scientific community: Nal T’eel, and rested with vanilla pods and cacao nibs. It was founded by Cesar Ayala and Gonzalo de la Pezuela in 2020. Photograph by Bénédicte Desrus