From what I learned recently in history class, the development of beer in ancient Ur progressed their civilization. In a city of roughly 50,000 inhabitants, it made water that was generally bad drinkable, and it helped set the course for the development of writing as well. My question is, on the other side of the globe cut off from knowledge of such things, did they develop for themselves some type of drink that was alcoholic in nature?
While you may of course have further questions, you may interested in these earlier posts regarding alcohol in the Americas:
Pulque, from the maguey plant, was a liquour of choice in Meseoamerica. It played a distinctly different role though.
Chicha, a corn beer, was ubiquitous in the Andes since the introduction of corn. Though not the region you were asking about, its consumption is more akin to Western beers.
Distilled beverages may have been produced