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Negative Effects Of Agriculture In Mesoamerica

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Agriculture and farming can be considered the economic heart of a country. Not only is it a livelihood but it is also responsible for one of the basic necessities for human existence - food. If a country cannot produce enough food to feed the population that resides there then that country must look outside of the present economy to import the majority of food products consumed. This can put a detrimental strain on that population by becoming a source of economic hardship. Prehistoric Mesoamerica and present-day Mexico have not possessed food production issues though, as the land there is fertile and agricultural cultivation has never been problematic. However, what has changed through the years is the way that food is farmed and produced. Prehistoric Mesoamerican farming techniques were ever changed by the Spanish Conquest which in turn not only changed and advanced present-day farming practices in Mexico, but also changed the composition of certain foods. In Mesoamerica there were many different types of crop cultivation taking place at any one given time. The land in Mesoamerica consisted mostly of the highlands and the adjacent lowlands of present-day northern Central America and southern Mexico. Indian civilizations were thriving in this area. When the Spanish Conquest took place, the Indians were cultivating nearly 90 different species of plants. About 80% of these plants were native to the area with the remaining 20% coming from Central and South America. Depending

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