The Cultivation of Maize
By Zoe
By Zoe
It is believed that agriculture in Mesoamerica may have started between 9,000 to 10,000 years ago with the domestication of maize. Maize was originally domesticated from a wild grass called teosinte found in the Balsas River Valley of present-day central Mexico. It was only around 6,500 years ago in the Mayan lowlands of Mesoamerica when ancient Mesoamericans started cultivating maize on purpose. At that time, maize only contributed to around thirty percent of their diets. As they improved farming methods overtime, it rose to seventy percent of their diets. Maize was the most significant crop in ancient Mesoamerican agriculture because it was easy to store, grow, and prepare. It became the most significant food source for ancient Mesoamericans and is currently one of the most important crops in the world.
Maize provided ancient Mesoamericans with a nutritious, consistent, and reliable food source. It was used in a process called milpa, also known as intercropping, with other nutrient-dense foods such as beans, squash, chili, sweet potatoes, and yuca. Maize alone is not as beneficial to the human body compared to when it is combined with squash and beans. When these crops are combined, they become highly nutritious due to their complementary chemical compounds. Ancient Mesoamericans discovered many unique and different ways to prepare maize. Maize, squash, and beans together form a dish called the “Three sisters.” Another method was to create a drink called saka by boiling maize in water with lime.
Maize wasn’t limited to being used nutritionally, it was also used by ancient Mesoamericans in medicinal purposes as well as religious ceremonies and practices. Medically, they would use maize to treat skin issues by applying it directly to the surface of an injury or wound. They would also use it to treat many diseases including tumors and hepatitis. Evidence found on ancient Mayan writings and artifacts show that maize was sacred to ancient Mesoamericans. Yum K'aax, which means the Young Maize God, was an incredibly important god for the Ancient Mayans because they believed that Yum K’aax created the first humans from maize. During religious and cultural ceremonies, Mesoamericans would burn maize with other plants and occasionally women would drink saka.
Maize is considered a fruit, grain, and vegetable.
Maize can eliminate up to 36,000 lbs of carbon dioxide per acre of land!