Mesoamerican Maize Agriculture

Timeline

1. c. -3500–-500Highlands of southern Mexico · MexicoEarly peoples selected edible maize from wild teosinte, developing slash-and-burn and rudimentary rotation farming patterns that laid the foundation for settled agriculture in Mesoamerica.
2. c. -500–1500Maya lowlands and the Valley of Mexico · MesoamericaCivilizations such as the Maya and Aztec developed milpa polyculture, raised fields, and irrigation systems, intercropping maize with beans and squash to support urban populations and tribute economies; around the 11th century it remained the core of regional staple production.
3. 1500Maize belts of the Americas and worldwide · GlobalEuropean colonists carried maize to the Old World and around the globe; combining traditional Mesoamerican cultivation knowledge with modern breeding and mechanization, maize became one of the world's most important food crops.