Agriculture in Mesoamerica - Domesticated Plants

Domesticated Plants

A list of Mesoamerican cultivars and staples:

  1. Maize* - domesticated from teosinte grasses in southern Mexico)
  2. Squash* (Cucurbita spp.) - pumpkins, zucchini, acorn squash, butternut squash, others
  3. Pinto bean - "painted/speckled" bean; nitrogen-fixer traditionally planted in conjunction with the "two sisters", maize and squash, to help condition soil; runners grew on maize
  4. Tomato*
  5. Potato*
  6. Avocado*
  7. Cacahuate* (Arachis hypogaea)
  8. Chicle* (Manilkara chicle) - sap made into chewing gum
  9. Chili peppers* - many varieties
  10. Cacao*
  11. Vanilla
  12. Mora (Rubus blackberry)
  13. Rubus glaucus
  14. Strawberry (Fragaria spp.) - various cultivars
  15. Pineapple - cultivated extensively
  16. Nopales* - stem segments of Opuntia species, such as Opuntia ficus-indica
  17. Tunas* - fruits of Opuntia species
  18. Jícama* (Pachyrhizus erosus)
  19. Papaya* (Carica papaya)
  20. Guayaba* - guava fruit
  21. Huautli* (Amaranthus cruentus, Amaranthus hypochondriacus) - grain
  22. Cherimoya* (fruit)
  23. Mamey sapote* (Pouteria sapota) - fruit, other parts of plants have noted uses
  24. Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides) - aromatic herb
  25. Sunflower seeds - under cultivation in Mexico and Peru for thousands of years, also source of essential oils
  26. Cassava* - edible starchy root also known as manioc; also used to make tapioca
  27. Tobacco*
  28. Chaya

* Asterisk indicates a common English or Spanish word derived from an indigenous word

Read more about this topic:  Agriculture In Mesoamerica

Famous quotes containing the words domesticated and/or plants:

    “Those who marry God can become domesticated too—it’s just as hum-drum a marriage as all the others. The word “Love” means a formal touch of the lips as in the ceremony of the Mass, and “Ave Maria” like “dearest” is a phrase to open a letter.”
    —Graham Greene (1904–1991)

    “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
    —Bible: New Testament, 1 Corinthians 3:7-9.