Ancient Mesoamerican Agricultural Strategies: The Role of Cycads and Phaseolus Beans in the Development of Intensive Field Cultivation Systems

Agriculture in ancient Mesoamerica is often described in broad terms as a dedicated focus on maize, beans, and squash, often termed the Three Sisters or Trinity. Likewise, the development of agricultural systems is presumed to proceed toward greater cultivation intensity over time as populations rise and technology changes. These broad strokes, while perhaps useful in textbooks, obfuscate the incredible variability in agricultural strategies across Mesoamerica in both time and space. Beyond a focus on the Three Sisters has been an even larger emphasis on the importance of maize, which has also hampered research aimed at understanding other types of foods