The Guarani people called the container used for drinking mate a Caaigúaa, while the Quechua people called it ‘mati’. Mati ended up being the term adopted by the Spanish people to refer to both the cup and to the infusion prepared with yerba máte. According to J.J. Paliiere (1823-1887) the Spaniards found the word mati easier to pronounce and for this reason it was adopted. The first máte gourd ever made was from the fruit of a climbing plant called Lagenaria vulgaris, which belongs to the native pumpkin family that grows in South America.

Máte gourds are also leather-wrapped to protect them from breakage. In the mid-seventeenth century, máte gourds became a luxury item. They were introduced to the homes of high society families and these people applied silver or gold coatings to the calabashes. They also created máte gourds made entirely of silver. Sometimes the máte gourd was carved in carob or lignum wood, made from coconut or ivory horn, clay, plastic or enameled metal. In the early twentieth century, máte gourds were made of earthenware and porcelain. These máte gourds, including those currently made of aluminum, plastic, glass or crockery do not need to be ‘cured’ and a simple wash leaves them ready to be used.