Cajete maize in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, Mexico: adaptation, transformation, and permanence

SOLÍS-CASTILLO, BERENICE; OROZCO-RAMÍREZ, QUETZALCÓATL; BOCCO, GERARDO

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

Taylor & Francis

Año: 2019 vol. 44 p. 1162 - 1184

2168-3565

Cajete maize is a group of traditional varieties, combined with a specific cultivation technique, which has been used in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, since pre-Hispanic times. It hasbeen fundamental for the agricultural and cultural development of the region for millennia. Cajete maize is planted before the start of the rainy season. By planting it deep, it takesadvantage of residual humidity. This paper seeks to analyze the history of cajete maize agriculture, as well as its changes and innovations. An exhaustive literature review was carried out, ethnographic work was developed, and changes and the prospects of cajete maize were analyzed. Recent innovations include the change of sowing dates and the use of a shovel instead of a half moon shaped coa (digging stick). The main advantages of cajete maize over seasonal maize are more resistance to drought and higher yields. Cajete sowing is an activity that strengthens community ties, because it is performed by groups of farmers, based on family and communalreciprocity mechanisms, in which women also play an important role. The persistence of cajete maize is associated with its adaptation to rainfall variability and to the fact that it is part of Mixtec communities? cultural heritage.