The thought of ancestral food brings forth images of jewel-toned corn kernels, vibrantly colored calabazas, and plump mineral-dense beans. Essentially the pillars on which our Mesoamerican ancestors built their communities, and which still withstand the test of time. Las tres hermanas, (the three sisters,) strong symbols of resistance and flexibility. Tangible emblems of the people they nourished and continue to nourish still. In talking about our ancestral diets we must place our ways of growing food at the core of the conversation.
The “invention” of these methods were much less inventions but rather close observations by people of the natural cycles of the land around them. It must be said that these methods were not exclusive to Mesoamerica, but rather found throughout Cemanahuac - the land surrounded by water, encompassing North & South America. To talk about these observations we must focus on the cultures themselves which prioritized the interconnectedness to the soil beneath their feet. Perhaps when we talk about returning to our roots, we quite literally mean it.
Long before implementing farming methods, indigenous people relied on hunting and foraging as the basis of their diet. Some communities, like those of Puebla, Tamaulipas & Oaxaca would incorporate both practices to maximize their energy & efficiency. They would settle in large groups and farm during periods of heavy rains and once the rains settled, would break up into smaller groups setting out to hunt and gather. Indigenous people, especially those of Cemanahuac, used much simpler farming tools and hardly any domesticated animals in comparison to Europeans. Though simpler in practice, their farming styles required much more theory and planning. Once established, these methods demanded much less labor, acreage and water & did not leave the land depleted of its nutrients.
To put it simply a milpa acted as its own complete symbiotic environment. Its large stalks of maize were the ladders for which the bean tendrils to climb onto to reach the sun rays while the large squash leaves provided ample shade for the soil to retain its water. Though these acted as the base crops for most every milpa, with experience many other crops could be strewn in as well, most notably chiles and tomatoes to add complexity to any meal.
Another ingenious method of growing food practiced by the Mesoamericans was called a chinampa. This system required close proximity to large bodies of freshwater, most notably, the Valley of Mexico. Chinampas were like little peninsulas, attached to the edge of the lake on one side and rectangular in shape. Their outline was formed by tall trees and bushes whose roots would reach deep into the water to stabilize the structure. The rectangles were then filled with decaying plants and soil and fertilized by the naturally occurring limestone. This method allowed for 3 to 4 yearly yields without the need for fallowing, or letting the land regain its nutrients, due to the constant supply of limestone from the surrounding canals. Yet another testament to the respect with which they treated the land.
The paths of returning to our ancestral ways are endless but the essence of them remains the same. In sharing this knowledge we do not claim credit for bringing it to light, nor for knowing all the answers. All of these notions are very much alive and in practice still, kept ablaze by generations learning and practicing and teaching. As removed mestizos we must remember that only through shattering what we know & humbly accepting what we don’t know can we genuinely move forward. We must look to our elders (including plants and animals) for their wisdom, and we must keep challenging our ways of living so we can begin to break through the façade that capitalism and colonialism have inflicted upon us. Similarly to the ways in which our people built the entirety of their communities we must remember to listen and learn from the behaviors of the natural world around us. We begin by acknowledging our very role in it. We remember we are like a milpa, our probability for success is interwoven with one another’s yet we must not forget to nourish the soil, the Tlalli, that allows for such growth.
Environmental and Cultural Effects on the Conquest of Mexico