The Century Plant or Maguey (Agave americana) is an agave originally from Mexico but cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant. It has since naturalised in many regions and grows wild in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.If the flower stem is cut without flowering, a sweet liquid called agua miel ("honey water") gathers in the heart of the plant. This may be fermented to produce the drink called pulque, which may then be distilled to produce mezcal. The leaves also yield fibers, known as pita, which are suitable for making rope, matting, coarse cloth and are used for embroidery of leather in a technique known as piteado. Both pulque and maguey fibre were important to the economy of pre-Columbian Mexico. Production continues today to a much lesser extent. Agave syrup (also called agave nectar) has recently been marketed as a healthful natural sugar substitute.

Tequila is made from a different species, Agave tequilana (also called)

This family is shaped by more than 120 species(kinds), between(among) which stand out Agave potatorum Zucc, Amarilidáceas (Tobalá) and the Agave angustifolia Haw (sword).Our country is the center of origin of the family Agavaceae, to which eight kinds(genres) belong(concern), between(among) them the kind(genre) Agave. Of 273 described species(kinds) of this family, which is distributed in the American continent - from North Dakota, EUA, up to Bolivia and Paraguay - in Mexico one finds the major diversity with 205 species(kinds), of which, 151 are endemic. The richest conditions(states) in number of species(kinds) are Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Sonorous, Coahuila, Durango and Straw hat.

http://redescolar.ilce.edu.mx/redescolar/publicaciones/publi_reinos/flora/maguey/maguey.htm