Corn- A Gift from the Ancient
People of the Americas
Today there are many kinds of foods
and grains to eat.
But long, long ago, before
there were cities and farms,
people stayed alive by following
and hunting animals.
Then some people found a plant called
teosite. They planted it to eat and became
farmers. They called it the "grain of the
gods”. Over 1000’s of years it changed. It
is now corn.
A teosinte ear was only 2 to
3 inches long with five to 12
kernels. Each kernel had a very
hard covering.
Teosinte and early corn called
maize.
Corn was so important that the
Aztecs believed there was a
god of corn.
Centeotl was
The Corn God
of the
Aztecs.
Hun-Hunahpu,
was called the
First Father
and Maize God
of the Mayan.
The Aztec had great cities and
a great culture.
An Aztec home
Aztec
farmers
planted
corn.
They
called it
maize.
Maize was the staple crop of the Aztecs.
Aztec women ground the dried maize into
flour on a stone slab with a stone roller.
It was then made into flour and patted into
a kind of pancake called a tortilla. Tortillas
are still made this way today.
Aztec women cooked on a clay disc
called a comal, which stood on stones
above a fire. People still cook this way
today.
Today,
tortillas can
be made by
hand or by
machine.
Maize was made into a kind of
porridge called atole. People
still make it today.
The Aztecs ate 'envelopes' of
steamed maize called tamales. Corn
husks were stuffed with
vegetables, meat or eggs. They are
still eaten today.
There are so many ways to eat corn.
It is a gift that feeds us to this day.
Many kinds of corn are grown
and eaten all over the world.
Now let’s make
tortillas!