The recent study has shone a light on the fascinating lifestyle of the Maya people, from their unique process of fortifying maize known as ‘nixtamalisation’ to their innovative indoor toilets built into limestone bedrock pits.
Who were the Mayas?
The Maya are an indigenous people originally hailing from Mexico and Central America. Their continuous habitation of modern-day Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas in Mexico, and extending south through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras, makes them a significant part of Mesoamerica’s history. The Maya civilization, famously noted for monumental architecture and advanced mathematical and astronomical knowledge, originated in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Their Classic Period, well-known to archaeologists, commenced around 250 CE and lasted until about 900 CE. At its peak, the Maya consisted of over 40 cities, each with a population ranging between 5,000 to 50,000. However, between 800-950 CE, many southern cities were inexplicably abandoned— an event known as the collapse of the Classic Maya civilisations.
Special Features of Maya Civilization
The Maya society established itself in villages by 1500 BCE, with agriculture based on corn (maize), beans, and squash cultivation. By 600 CE, they also introduced cassava (sweet manioc) to their agricultural practices. Their civic life included ceremonial centres, temples, pyramids, palaces, ball courts, and plazas.
Utilising chert’s hardness, the Maya quarried vast quantities of building stone, predominantly limestone. Even though their mainstay was slash-and-burn agriculture, they also employed advanced irrigation and terracing techniques. A sophisticated system of hieroglyphic writing, calendrical and astronomical systems were notable Maya contributions.
The Maya made paper from wild fig tree inner bark and wrote their hieroglyphs on these paper-made books, referred to as codices. They also had a rich tradition of sculpture and relief carving. Architectural works, stone inscriptions, and reliefs are the primary sources of early Maya knowledge.
Nixtamalisation Technique used by Mayas
Nixtamalisation is an ancient process used by Mesoamerican cultures like the Maya to soak and cook maize in alkaline solution, enhancing its taste and nutritional value while neutralising its toxicity. The term Nixtamal derives from the Nahuatl word nextamalli, meaning ‘nixtamalised maize dough’.
Maize has been the Americas’ primary crop for thousands of years, often paired with beans and squash, also known as the ‘Three Sisters’ in diets throughout pre-Columbian North and Mesoamerica.
Nixtamalisation plays a pivotal role in the spread of maize in the Americas due to its ability to enrich maize with amino acids, calcium, and Vitamin B2 that can be absorbed by the human body, reducing the risk of pellagra and calcium deficiency. The process also eliminates mycotoxins present in maize.
Nejayote, the wastewater resulting from nixtamalisation, was potentially used to lime the chultunes (underground storage chambers) during their use as latrines to control odours and prevent the growth of insects and microorganisms, just as it is still done today.
