The milpa is a complex Mesoamerican system of crop association that dates back to the Neolithic period. The name “milpa” comes from Náhuatl, the original language of the Aztec people, and means “what is sown in the field.” The milpa has long represented the key to ensuring food security for many indigenous and rural populations in Mexico and is the most effective way to safeguard and reproduce ancestral seeds. The composition of the milpa varies depending on the region, but the most typical crops (and therefore the most representative of the local diet) are corn, beans, and pumpkins.
These three plants coexist and establish synergistic relationships with tomatoes, chili peppers, qualities (wild greens), fruit trees, and dozens of other vegetables, as well as mushrooms and insects who find an ideal habitat in the milpa. As they cultivate the milpa, the women of Chiapas protect and pass on their knowledge, strengthening their identity, preserving the fertility of the soil, and providing their families with fresh, nutritious, local food. This means lower consumption of industrial foods and the protection of local agricultural biodiversity.
Among the most symbolic products of Chiapeneco cuisine linked to milpa cultivation are tostadas, crisp corn tortillas. These are typically handmade by the local women, individually or in groups, using white, yellow, and black native corn. The first step is nixtamalization, a pre-Hispanic technique that involves cooking the corn kernels in limewater. This makes the niacin (vitamin B3 or PP) in the corn available for uptake by the human body and helps prevent pellagra, a disease caused by a lack of niacin, which used to be common in countries where people relied on corn as the only grain in their diet. Once the nixtamalized corn has been ground, it is mixed into a dough and formed into disks that are then cooked on a comal, a typical Mexican griddle set on top of a wood-burning stove.
The tostadas can be made just from corn or incorporate ingredients like pork fat, beans, chili, a leafy green called chipilín, beets, or other vegetables. They can be eaten on their own or filled with meat or vegetables.
This project was funded by the Kellogg Foundation.
