The Mighty Corn
It is fascinating to understand how a tiny seed enabled our ancestors to build massive empires and sustain themselves for thousands of years. Going back to the indigenous people during the pre-Columbian era, all the way down to the conquest of Cortez, it is clear to see how corn made possible the development of societies, cultures, and beliefs. Even today, the domestication of corn plays a major role in the way our society operates, especially in the latino communities. People ranging from the Nahuatls, who remain close to their origins and speak the ancient Aztec language, to the third generation of latinos who live hundreds of kilometers away, corn will always find a way to be a part of life. Before the domestication of …show more content…
By gathering food on a daily basis, the indigenous learned to work together as a group which resulted in very tight-knit communities where everyone had to pull their own weight and work as a capui. Having the entire group cooperate and do the same things, created a sense of uniformity and equality that allowed an egalitarian system to be formed where power was evenly distributed. Unfortunately for our primitive ancestors, the frequent migrations and lack of nutritional food deteriorated the health of the community and prevented them from looking at alternative ways to live in a way that their lives would not solely revolve around keeping their stomachs full. This way of living was simply a way to survive another day and nothing more.
Once corn became domesticated around 4,250 BC, the lifestyle of the indigenous people changed in a way that the community could finally transition into a society. First of all, sedentism became possible and people could finally settle down and plant a variety of crops such as corn, beans, and squash to sustain themselves. Instead of having to go out of their way to get food, they now had it at their disposal and could focus on other parts of life such as
It is fascinating to understand how a tiny seed enabled our ancestors to build massive empires and sustain themselves for thousands of years. Going back to the indigenous people during the pre-Columbian era, all the way down to the conquest of Cortez, it is clear to see how corn made possible the development of societies, cultures, and beliefs. Even today, the domestication of corn plays a major role in the way our society operates, especially in the latino communities. People ranging from the Nahuatls, who remain close to their origins and speak the ancient Aztec language, to the third generation of latinos who live hundreds of kilometers away, corn will always find a way to be a part of life. Before the domestication of …show more content…
By gathering food on a daily basis, the indigenous learned to work together as a group which resulted in very tight-knit communities where everyone had to pull their own weight and work as a capui. Having the entire group cooperate and do the same things, created a sense of uniformity and equality that allowed an egalitarian system to be formed where power was evenly distributed. Unfortunately for our primitive ancestors, the frequent migrations and lack of nutritional food deteriorated the health of the community and prevented them from looking at alternative ways to live in a way that their lives would not solely revolve around keeping their stomachs full. This way of living was simply a way to survive another day and nothing more.
Once corn became domesticated around 4,250 BC, the lifestyle of the indigenous people changed in a way that the community could finally transition into a society. First of all, sedentism became possible and people could finally settle down and plant a variety of crops such as corn, beans, and squash to sustain themselves. Instead of having to go out of their way to get food, they now had it at their disposal and could focus on other parts of life such as