The Role Of Agriculture In Aztec Society

One of the most impressive technological achievements of the Aztec involved increases in the extent, efficiency, and overall productivity of natural resources for agricultural purposes. During the period that the Aztec empire occupied the highlands of central Mexico, from early 14th through the early 16th centuries CE, its rulers had to figure out how to feed their growing and developing population. The act of agricultural intensification became a crucial economic component to meet these demands. This has been defined by anthropologists as an “increased average inputs of labour or capital on a smallholding, either cultivated land alone, or on cultivated and grazing land, for the purpose of increasing the value of output per hectare” (Smith and Price 1994). The task primarily landed on rural farmers to implement these practices and was done so by raising fields (chinampas), canal irrigation and terrace agriculture. …show more content…
Aside from its importance as foodstuff, these crops had another important role in Aztec society. This included to label individuals of their social identity and hierarchy during political feasts, as a tribute in support of the Aztec political economy, or to conduct sacred rituals. The last example can be seen in painted manuscripts and sculptures, as well as indigenous and Spanish sixteenth-century texts, were filled with images of foodstuffs and food processing. Aztec gods and humans were shown as feasting, and food and eating clearly played an important and intimate role in Aztec rituals. The relationship between the Aztecs and agriculture was not just a practical one but one deeply entrenched in their