• Beans, squash, and chili peppers

• Fruits like avocado, papaya, and guava

• Occasional meat – turkey, deer, fish, and insects

• Cacao (chocolate) – used in ceremonial drinks

• Honey and salt – for sweetening and preserving

• Mayans: Lived in present-day Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Their civilization peaked around 250–900 AD. Known for advanced writing, astronomy, and step pyramids. The culture declined before the Spanish arrived.

• Aztecs: Rose later, around the 1300s in central Mexico. Built a powerful empire with their capital at Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City). Conquered by Hernán Cortés and the Spanish in 1521.

Squash

Beans

(The three sisters

Chili peppers

Avacado

Pineapple

Tomatoes

Pumpkin

And sweet potatoes

The Aztecs were also religious and believed in lots of gods, especially ones related to the sun and war. They did human sacrifices too—sometimes a lot of them—because they thought it helped the sun rise each day. They had big festivals and loved battle, since capturing enemies for sacrifice was a big deal. They also farmed using chinampas, which were like floating gardens.

Men usually wore loincloths and sometimes simple cotton shirts. Women wore long skirts and blouses. Rich people wore clothes with bright colors, feathers, and jewelry made of jade

Aztec Clothing:

Aztec men wore loincloths and capes, and women wore skirts and loose tops. Nobles and warriors wore fancier clothes made of better fabric, with lots of decorations like feathers and gold. Regular people wore simple clothes, often white or brown.