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Aztec Agriculture

Aztec agriculture and farming

Aztec agriculture is an art studied still today. The Aztecs found a way to cultivate crops from farms built on top of the swampy, but rich land surrounding their area. They build a system of plots of land, called chinampas, with fences and sometimes reeds build up around them to help stabilize them and keep them in order. They built canals through these plots of land to allow canoes to get through so the crops could be irrigated. They would also find water fowl and fish in these areas, too! Aztec agriculture was very planned out and well thought through. In addition to the chinampas, they did have crops on land. They mainly grew maize and corn of all different varieties. This was their main staple food. Ancient Aztec agriculture was supplemented by the specialists that worked the fields. These people knew exactly which seeds would grow in what type of soil, the watering and fertilizing cycles needed, and the time to plant and harvest. These people, who were often lower class citizens or even slaves, played a huge role in the sustenance of the Aztec Indians. Agriculture was a huge industry, as the Aztecs traded a lot. A crop like coffee was one of the most prized. Coffee beans were often used as money, that's how precious it was. The people that were in charge of these crops were a very important part of Aztec agriculture.