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Agriculture in Ancient Mesoamerica

By Google Arts & Culture

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The main crops farmed in ancient Mesoamerica were maize, beans, squash, and chili peppers. 

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Cacao was also grown, and the ​​4,000-year history of chocolate began in ancient Mesoamerica.

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Across central America, various groups of ancient people practiced sophisticated agricultural methods that enabled the land to sustain large populations.

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The Maya created terraces on steep hillsides, where small fields were planted and held with a retaining wall. 

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The Aztecs invented ‘floating gardens’,  a type of raised field surrounded by water called a Chinampa where crops were planted.

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Mesoamerica Symbolia agriculture

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