What foods did the Maya eat?

Where did food come from?

The Maya ate a variety of different foods that they gained from farming, hunting and foraging.

Most of the Maya food was grown in the fields or gardens, known as pet kot from the circular wall of stones that the gardens were built upon.

Some foods, such as cocoa, were very important within the Maya religion and culture. Many Maya foods are still eaten across the world today!

Important words for the Maya civilisation

Keyword	Definition
Cocoa bean	The seed of the cocoa tree which is used to make chocolate.
Domesticate	To tame a wild animal to live with humans.
Farming	Using land to grow crops and raise animals for food.
Foraging	Searching for and gathering food from plants.
Hunting	Searching for and catching animals for food.
Maize	A grain that grows on a large plant. Also known as corn.
Tree-cropping	A farming system that involved growing crops on or around trees.

What was the most common food?

The ancient Maya diet mostly included maize, squash, beans. These important crops came to be known as the ‘Three Sisters’ - they were grown together and helped each other grow. The Maya also used chilli peppers to add flavour to their food.

Maize was most popular. The Maya ground it up to make flour and made tortillas, which they used to wrap meat and beans.

Chilli peppers, tomatoes, avocado, pineapple, pumpkin and sweet potatoes were grown by tree-cropping . This farming system involved growing crops on or around trees.

For their meat, deer, armadillo, monkeys, turtles and iguana were all hunted. Fish, lobsters and shrimp were caught from the sea. Dogs and turkeys may have been domesticated.

What was the most special food?

A red cocoa pod hanging from a theobroma tree. — Image caption,
Cocoa pods containing cocoa beans hang from ‘Theobroma cacao’ trees.

The Maya were the first people to grow the Theobroma cacao tree for food. Cocoa beans grew on the Theobroma cacao tree and were used by the Maya to make chocolate.

Cocoa was seen as a gift from the gods.
The Maya word ‘theobroma’ means food of the gods.
Cocoa beans were hard to grow, seen as a symbol of wealth and highly valued by the Maya.
In Maya ceremonies, cocoa beans were used as offerings to the gods.
The cocoa bean was even used as a currency for a short period.

A special drink known as xocolatl (pronounced sho-KAW-til) was made from cocoa beans. They were ground down and mixed together with chilli peppers and honey. This special bitter chocolate was drunk by the rich and at wedding ceremonies.

Another special foof was maize. It was said to be the food of creation as the first humans were crafted from an ear of corn in Maya mythology.

What foods are still eaten today?

An illustration of a girl holding maize, the ears of the corn are surrounded by leaves. Another girl has removed the leaves from the crops. A dog looks on.

Many popular Maya foods are still eaten today.

Maize is still used to make corn dough for tortillas and tamales.
Avocado is used in guacamole.
Chocolate from cocoa beans, although sweeter than that used by the Maya, is still eaten all over the world.

How do we know what the Maya ate?

A Maya woman is cooking flat bread on a hot pan over a fire inside a wooden hut. A stack of traditional breads and some eggs sit nearby. — Image caption,
Many Maya people have shared their culture with others through food and cooking.

Even though the Maya lived so long ago, archaeologists can still find clues to help understand the past.

When archaeologists dig up soil, tiny pieces of ancient plants, such as seeds, stalks and maize cobs can be found through sieving. Tiny plant remains can also be found on old pottery and on the teeth of ancient Maya people.

Archaeologists can also use other clues, such as old stories from early Spanish explorers and Maya art which shows plants and farming to help understand the bigger picture.

In the modern day, many Maya people have shared their culture with others through food and cooking.

All of these clues help archaeologists and historians understand what the Maya grew and ate.

Think like a historian

Orange thought bubble that says Thinking Points!

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

The Maya hunted and foraged for their food and also developed different ways of farming. Why do you think it was so important that they had so many different ways of getting food?
The Maya ate foods such as guacamole, tortillas and chocolate which are still popular today. What does this tell you about food throughout history?
Maize was grown over a long period of time by the Maya and it became one of their most important crops. Why do you think this was significant?