All about the ancient tribes
The cultivation of maize was the central focus of Aztec society, as it was for other Mesoamerican peoples. Agriculture could be practiced to a great extent since the climate in the Valley of Mexico was so humid, with its many lakes and marshes. In addition to maize, the principal agricultural products included beans, squashes, chiles, and amaranth.
During the time that they were in power, the Aztecs farmed vast tracts of land. Corn, beans, and squash were the three most important foods in their diet. They added chiles and tomatoes to these ingredients. They also gathered a species of crayfish-like critter called an acocil, which is common in Lake Texcoco, as well as a type of algae called spirulina, which they baked into cakes.
The Aztecs made the interesting discovery that the simultaneous cultivation of maize, beans, and pumpkin plants resulted in a synergistic effect that promoted the growth of all three crops.
On the farms, there were other harvests of corn, beans, and squash. Tomatoes and chile peppers were also quite common crops at that time. However, the gardens, and notably the chinampas, were utilized to cultivate huge quantities of flowers, which contributed to the Aztec farming area becoming an even more verdant and colorful location.
The residences of members of the ruling class typically had gardens as an amenity. The inhabitants would also harvest food that grew naturally, such as the algae that was found in the water. On the farms, there were other harvests of corn, beans, and squash. Tomatoes and chile peppers were also quite common crops at that time.
Corn stalks offer the sturdy support that bean plants require in order to reach their full potential as plants.
The cuisine of the Aztec people is considered to be the food of the Nahua people who lived in the Valley of Mexico prior to the arrival of Europeans in 1519. Corn, often known as maize, was the most important staple food for Aztec civilisation. This grain was so essential to their way of life that it even featured prominently in their mythology.
Tomatoes, avocados, chili peppers, limes, onions, amaranth, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and jimacas were among the other crops that they cultivated (Mexican turnip and yam bean). Then, in order to add even more vibrancy to their fields, they began cultivating various kinds of flowers.
Through the utilization of chinampas, or floating gardens, the Aztecs were able to cultivate enormous amounts of grain, beans, and squash. In addition, they were also able to breed animals such as turkeys.
The Aztec civilization, which flourished in central Mexico between about 1345 and 1521 CE, was able to provide an astonishingly wide variety of agricultural produce thanks to a combination of climatic advantages, diverse artificial irrigation methods, and extensive farming know-how. This allowed the Aztec civilization to provide an abundance of agricultural goods.
Because the Aztecs resided in the midst of a lake, they had to construct chinampas, which are large platforms of dirt that float on shallow rafts. They then produced their harvests on these chinampas. Each individual floating garden may be as long as 100 meters.
In addition to vegetables like beans and squash, corn (sometimes spelled maize) served as the primary staple item in their diet. Potatoes and a very fine grain known as quinoa were two of the most prevalent crops cultivated by the Incas. In addition to a vast range of fruits, the Aztecs and Maya were known to choose avocados and tomatoes as their primary sources of nutrition.
A typical meal can consist of tortillas, tamales, beans, and a casserole made of squash and tomatoes, with either water or pulque as a beverage. To get their meals started, noble Aztec families would begin with the staples of tortillas and beans, despite the fact that they had access to a wider range of foods and were especially fond of eating meat in some manner.
The Aztecs were renowned throughout history for their achievements in agriculture, land management, art, and architecture. They constructed temples and other places of worship in addition to developing the ability to write and a calendar system. They were also notorious for their ferocity and lack of mercy for others. To placate their gods they sacrificed humanity!
The ashes turned the land into a productive and wealthy environment. To be fertile is to be beneficial to plant growth. Following this, the farmers sowed seeds into the ground, and then they waited for their crops to begin growing. They planted corn (also known as maize), squash, beans, chili peppers, and cacao (also known as cocoa), which is the ingredient that is used to make chocolate.
Over an open flame was how the Aztecs prepared their meals. When they wanted to boil anything or make a stew, they would suspend cooking pans over the fire in the hearth. Tamales and other foods were also steamed by them.
An assortment of domestic items, including as pottery, bone needles, obsidian blades, musical instruments fashioned from human and canine bones, the bone of a carved deer, and the bones of turkeys and dogs that were used as meals, have been discovered in the region. The Aztecs did, in fact, consume dog meat.
They also believed that the cacao fruit was a divine gift.
In the marketplaces of Tenochtitlan, an Aztec who was hungry may select between sellers offering tacos packed with vegetables (beans, squash, tomato, nopal cactus), meat (dog, rabbit, turkey, eggs), or the unusual wealth of the lake itself (water-insects, amphibians, algae).