Contemporary Maya Food System in the Lowlands of Northern Yucatan

Abstract

Lowland Maya culture can be traced back to around 1200–1000 BC in the lowlands of Belize. Their subsequent expansion and settlement in the northern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula was possible, thanks to the integration of three agricultural systems that originated in other dry tropical forests but were also adapted to the lithosol–cambisol physiographic and edaphic sequences of Yucatan: the Mesoamerican milpa (Zea mays—Phaseolus spp.—Cucurbita spp. complex), the South American conuco (Manihot esculenta—Xanthosoma sagittifolium—Maranta arundinacea—Ipomoea batatas complex), and the family garden based on native tree species but also on species introduced from other areas of Mesoamerica or from Central and South America. Hunting, gathering, and fishing complemented Mayan food production since their arrival in Yucatan. Various studies have enumerated Mayan foods and dietary patterns based on the milpa production system that has persisted since Pre-Columbian times. Nevertheless, we lack comparable reports on how the contemporary Maya structure their food system and the relative contribution of each of its various components. In order to address this need, we studied a traditional Maya community in northern Yucatan by making inventories of food dishes and drinks elaborated in the community and the origin of their ingredients. We found 74 food dishes and drinks primarily produced with ingredients produced locally in the milpa. 91.9 % of them included Zea mays, 29.7 % included Cucurbita spp., 12.1 % included Phaseolus spp., 12.5 % included Capsicum spp., 6.7 % included Spondias, and 5.4 % included Cnidoscolus. Although they have economic and nutritional importance, other production systems, such as the family garden, are clearly secondary to the milpa in contributing to Xocén’s food supply. The culinary characteristics of different varieties of the cultivated species appear to have served as selective pressures for the generation and conservation of intraspecific diversity. Efforts to augment productivity of the milpa system through transforming it to a maize monoculture can yield significant changes to the food system with negative consequences to local nutrition, ecology, and culture.