Edited by Mrs. Teaford

While viewing the presentation and completing the study guide CIRCLE the BOLD words. These will be your word bank for the review assignment. Mexico

Began to hunt less and form civilizations Settled in central Mexico and began growing squash, beans and maize for food

* The Aztecs The Mayans

Had a well- established market place system The fast food of the time were tamales and tortillas !

First civilized group Had a calendar as accurate as ours Used it to know when to plant crops

Built terraced hillsides, dams to divert water Raised fields in lowlands Used only hand tools and manual labor

Beans and Corn Corn depletes the soil Bacteria on the bean roots converted nitrogen to a form usable by plants helped preserve the fertility of the soil.

Corn and beans are each sources of incomplete protein. Humans need complete protein for health Eating both together supply the amino acids (protein parts) that the other lacks

Squash Pumpkins Sweet Potatoes Chili Peppers Tomatoes Avocados Papayas Cacao

Honey was used as a sweetener.

Sugar came to Mexico through the Spanish The preferred desert is fresh tropical fruit which grows in abundance

The Mayas started planted only corn and no beans. The few laborers left to manage the fields probably slashed and burned landscape to grow corn more easily. Topsoil was quickly destroyed by the erosion which caused widespread famines.

Mexico is ¼ the size of U.S. 8% of Mexico land is cultivatable while 80% of U.S. land can be farmed.

Aztec emperor who enjoyed luxurious dining in his opulent palace

Hernán Cortés was the explorer who led an expedition causing the Aztec empire to fall.

Beef Dairy Cattle Sheep Pigs Chickens Rice Wheat Citrus Fruits Almonds Sugar Onions Garlic Herbs Cinnamon

Wheat Tortillas (Tortillas began to be made out of wheat as well as corn.) Tomatoes, chili peppers, and rice were combined to form what we know as Spanish rice.

They taught them to use lard when cooking beans. After they were simmered in a pot, they were then mashed and slowly fried in lard until the paste was stiff and dry enough to hold a shape. The preparation is known today as refried beans.

It’s a grain, popped like popcorn with honey to make a sweet treat. An almost complete protein. Cortez disliked how Aztecs used corn for religious reason so he did not take it back to Europe.

Beans Corn Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Chili Peppers Squash Avocados Pineapples Papayas Peanuts Vanilla Chocolate

BAJA: The parched wheat and cattle region of the north. PUEBLA: The lush agricultural region of the central valley. VERACRUZ: The Gulf of Mexico’s fish and shellfish in the southern region. YUCATAN: The tropical fruit region.

Debus, Laura, Robert H Zedlitz, and Carol M. Zedlitz. Exploring International Foods Travel China, Italy and Mexico. Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co Print