Agave fiber, also known as maguey or ixtle, usually refers to blue agave, the same plant from which tequila is distilled. Agave is part of the Agavaceae family of plants. The textile obtained from the agave plants is cellulose fiber made from the plant’s processed leaves. 

The name difference derives from history. Mexicans called the agave plant metl, Purepechas named it akamba, and Zapotecans doba or toba. After the Spanish conquest, they changed the name to maguey because that is how the Antillas locals referred to sabila. Spanish realized that they all shared common characteristics: rosette shape, pointy ends, green, and thorns. Agave comes from the Greek Άγαυή, which means ‘admirable’, ‘noble’, or ‘illustrious’; the name was given due to the plant’s diversity and innumerable uses. 

Agave plants grow in the desert areas of South America, Central America, Mexico, and some parts of the Southwest United States. Not only propose a sustainable alternative to textile development, but they also pose a new use for usually thrown-away agave leaves. 

Fiber removal, washing, and drying must be done promptly after the leaves are cut; otherwise, the gums within harden and the pulp will adhere to the fibers, making the cleaning process almost impossible. Rural communities make a manual process, from decortication, and pounding, to removing the pulp with a knife. Because decortication requires a large amount of time and manpower, this can also be done mechanically. With the machine’s help, the leaves are crushed by a rotating wheel with blunt knives, so only the remains of the fibers are extracted. Some machines can decorticate the whole leaf in one single insert. 

Agave is truly a plant that can benefit in such a large range of aspects. Among the many subproducts, some highlight the list. The pulp can be an organic fertilizer or turned into paper; leaves juice can be produced into soaps, fungicides, alcoholic beverages, organic fuel, or animal food; the flower stem is so strong it can be utilized in the construction of houses and ladders; the little pickled bulbs are edible; and, it can also be applied in medicinal procedures.  

Agave should not be confused with Fique. Even though, a similar fiber can be obtained from both; agave has yellowish stiff leaves with a strong spike at the tips, while Fique’s leaves are greenish and drop to the floor and lack tip spikes.

Because of fique’s similarity with agave, its processing is quite similar. The fique plants also require three years of growth before being harvested. Once the fresh leaves have been picked up, they are shredded into thin threads and sun-dried. It is crucial to comb and lay them in the same direction to obtain a soft and uniform texture. A comb made out of nails is used for this process; as is the case with the agave fiber, this, also, requires a lot of physical work. The fiber needs to be stretched and evenly spread. Subsequently, the threads are twisted to obtain skeins of fique, which will be weaved in a variety of techniques, from crocheting to a loom.