“Their principal sustenance,” Bishop Diego de Landa wrote of the Maya, “is maize, of which they prepare various dishes and drinks.” He goes on to describe how maize is soaked overnight in lime water then ground on a metate to make an astonishing array of beverages, ranging from plain water with a little maize to exotic preparations involving cacao beans and peppers. It was also used for breads, cereals, soups, stews and desserts. This dependence on maize was not unique to the Maya.

Maize was the staple diet of virtually all the people in the New World. So vitally important to their survival was this grain that, under Aztec law, the theft of maize was punishable by death. By an oddly humanitarian provision, however, hungry travelers were welcome to take an ear or two without penalty as long as they came from plants growing alongside the road.

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