Comparion of Aztec and Tainos Agricultural Practices

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The Aztec and the Tainos of the New World will be examined for their different levels of achievement in agriculture. For the Aztec agriculture was an important complex part of their society. They did surplus planting of maize, ( their staple crop), beans, chia, Amaranth, chiles, squashes, green and red tomatoes, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, avocado, pumpkin, octli sucker, peppers, vanilla, cotton for clothing, peanuts and cocoa(was made into prestige drinks and the beans were used for money). They planted these crops by using two cultivating techniques: Tlacolol irrigation system and the use of chimanpas. It should be noted that farming was only done by the commoners and peasants of the Aztec society. The Tlacolol was a farrowing system. Fields was cultivated for two or three years and allow to rest and then recultivated. This system was used in low lands. Flood water irrigation systems were largely constructed. This system provided greater surplus for the entire population. Aztec applied crop rotation and fertilizers to increase production. The most extensive and highly achieved technique of irrigation were the Chinampas. They were highly productive plots of shallow bed that floated on lakes, by alternating layers of vegetation and mud. The planters used seed beds, where they used germinated plants for the chinampas. This ensured greater returns. Other agricultural activities included gathering wild plants, hunting for food and clothing (deers, rabbits, hares, opossum, armadillo wild boars and tapir by bows and arrows, traps and snares), fishing and fowling ( they caught turkeys, cranes, pelicans, ducks, geese, pheasants, pigeons, etc). The Taino on the other hand were not as complex as the Aztec in their agricultural achievement but still diverse in their subsistence practices. This activity was a cooperative effort of all the people including the

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