The Story of Cervecería Alemana
The Journey
In 1884, Eduard Sundermann emigrated from Germany to Mexico via the United States. Immigration records listed his profession simply as:
Brewer
Like many European professionals invited during Mexico’s modernization period under Porfirio Díaz, he arrived with technical knowledge and ambition—bringing Old World brewing traditions to a new frontier.
Just four years later, he purchased nearly 60 acres of land known as El Salto, named for the waterfall running through the property.
This land would become home to Cervecería Alemana.
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Our Heritage
Cervecería Alemana was founded in 1888 by German brewer Eduard and Aurelia(formally, Castillo) Sundermann at the base of the Iztaccíhuatl volcano near Amecameca, Mexico. Built beside glacier-fed waters and the El Salto waterfall, the brewery stood in one of the most historically significant brewing regions in the Americas.
More than a brewery, it was a family estate, a hospitality destination, and a symbol of European brewing tradition taking root in Mexico during a period of modernization and international exchange. The photo was taken by Guillermo Kahlo, father of Frida Kahlo
Brewing Excellence
The brewery site was uniquely suited for beer production:
• Glacier-fed freshwater rivers
• Natural ice storage conditions in nearby volcanic caves
• Pine forests and high-altitude climate
• Direct access to regional travel routes into Mexico City
Between 1888 and 1911, Cervecería Alemana operated as both a working brewery and a bed & breakfast estate, welcoming travelers, scientists, and visitors exploring the region.
A botanist visiting around 1905 documented his stay on the Sundermann property, confirming the estate’s role as a hospitality destination as well as a brewery. It was believed to be the last brewery in Mexico to not use refrigeration!
The Revolution
In 1911, the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution forced the Sundermann family to flee their home and brewery.
During the uprising:
• The estate was abandoned
• The brewery was destroyed
• The family became displaced and eventually settled in Juárez, MX and El Paso, TX
Years later, the Mexican government formally acknowledged the family’s losses and approved financial reparations—but the payment was never delivered.
The legacy of Cervecería Alemana was left unfinished.
The Ruins
The remains of the brewery still stand near Amecameca.
They are believed to be the only brewery structure that existed in the region between 1888 and 1911, confirming the historical footprint of Cervecería Alemana and preserving a physical connection to the Sundermann legacy.
These ruins have been well preserved by multiple property owners over the years, the most recent being, the Legionaries of Christ.
The New World
Nearly 345 years before Cervecería Alemana, another European-style brewery operated nearby:
La Brazería (1544) — considered the first European brewery in the Americas, operated by an unnamed Belgian Monk and a Conquistador, Alfonso Herrera.
Historical accounts place it somewhere along Paseo de Cortés, near the same region where Sundermann later built his estate.
This raises a remarkable question:
Was Cervecería Alemana knowingly built near—or even on—the site of the first European brewery in the New World?
The answer may reshape brewing history.
The Mystery
•Google/Apple Maps & locals in Amecameca recognize the Sundermann ruins as - El Portal, primer cervecería en América - the 1st European style brewery in the Americas which was also reconfirmed on a recent trip to visit the property but did not get access.
Documentary in Planning
Cervecería Alemana is currently the subject of a documentary project investigating:
• The Sundermann family archive
• The lost brewery site at El Salto
• The connection to the earliest brewery in the Americas with the use of modern technologies
• If artifacts from both breweries still exist either by excavations on-site or stored in local archives
• Unpaid revolutionary reparations
This project brings together historians, researchers, and descendants working to restore a story that has remained hidden for more than a century.