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Which crops and farming practices can be reconstructed from Proto-Mayan vocabulary?

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The reconstructed vocabulary of Proto-Mayan reveals a culture deeply rooted in agriculture, characterized by a variety of domesticated animals and crops, as well as specific farming terminology.

Reconstructed Crops and Animals

The Proto-Mayan lexicon includes terms for several key cultigens and domestic animals:
* Crops: Avocado, chili, cacao, chicozapote (sapodilla), anona (cherimoya), achiote (bixa), two species of squash, sweet potato, bean, tomato, sweet manioc (cassava), pineapple, breadnut, and maize.1
* Domestic Animals: The male turkey and the dog.1

Farming Practices and Vocabulary

The reconstructed language also contains extensive terminology related to the "maize complex" and agricultural labor, indicating a sophisticated understanding of cultivation:
* Maize Processing: Terms include those for the ear of corn, corn leaf, green corn, corn dough, pinole (ground parched corn), and words for shelling and grinding corn.1
* Tools and Techniques: The vocabulary includes terms for the metate (grindstone), planting, picking, and weeding.1
* Material Culture: Related agricultural and domestic terms include those for cotton, cottonseed, cotton cloth, the century plant (maguey), and various items such as axes, net bags, and hammocks.1