Tequila’s denomination-of-origin area includes 181 Mexican municipalities. This protected region is spread across five states: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.
The boundaries matter because Mexican tequila rules restrict where the blue agave may be grown and where tequila may be produced under the protected name. Jalisco contains most of the designated municipalities, including the city of Tequila and much of the historic production zone.
The figure is sometimes confused with the number of municipalities in Jalisco alone, which is 125. The denomination-of-origin area is broader than Jalisco, although Jalisco remains overwhelmingly the central tequila-producing state.
This geographical protection is similar in purpose to appellation systems used for wines and other regional foods. It links tequila’s name to a defined landscape, production tradition, and regulatory standard.