Aztec Agriculture Changes

Title: The Agricultural Transformation that occurred in the New and Old Worlds was a momentous phase in the history of humankind, which radically changed all aspects of human life.

The development of agriculture in history is known as producing, processing, packaging, marketing, and researching of food and fiber. Prior to this progress, human beings relied on hunting and gathering for survival and lived a nomadic lifestyle. However, due to the advancing skills and knowledge of growing plants and domesticating animals, humankinds started to localize in permanent location over many generations. In addition, the availability of water, fertile soil, and moderate temperatures became essential factors for prosperous farming. Out of these factors,

The three groups that were innovating agriculture were Aztecs, Inca, and Maya. Aztec farming has become most renowned because of the chinampas and irrigation system, mainly in the great city of Tenochtitlan. The Incas faced challenging conditions for agriculture due to the mountainous terrain and scarcity of water. However, the Incas adopted a new method of terracing, which is to create raised and level fields on the sides of the hills. In that way, crops can be cultivated in larger surface area and the topsoil can be retained from being washed away by heavy rains. They also made use of natural fertilizers by composting animal manures and organic compounds. Lastly, the Maya lived in the tropical rainforest area, which is poor in fertile soil. As a result, Maya farmers adopted a method called ‘slash and burn’ before they began planting crops. Slash and burn farming was not an easy job. First step is the ‘slash’ part where the farmer cut down all the trees in the area he wanted to plant crops in and burn them. The remaining ashes from the fires were then mixed with the soil to produce fertile soil. Though, the farmers had to left the land fallow after one cycle of plantation and find new lands in order to restore its fertility. While hunting and gathering, wild animals and plants may be available at any time, farming is a process in which crops won’t grow unless cultivated. Maize, for example is one of the primary crop raised in the New World that requires proper farming