It is reasonable to say that the diet of a large number of contemporary Mayans remains much as it was in ancient times-at least in the more rural and poverty stricken areas. The Maya live in harmony with their natural surroundings. Indigenous species of flora and fauna constitute their basic food supply.
Mayan people are fundamentally vegetarian. Plants and trees, both wild and cultivated, are used for food, medicine, building materials, flavorings, religious ceremonies, weapons, work implements and artistic coloring.
The most widely consumed source of protein is beans, followed closely by corn and squash. In large areas, these items are still plated in the same way they were in ancient times-using a pointed stick to penetrate the soil. Bean corn and squash seeds are often placed in the same hole or right next to each other. The reason for this is that as the plants grow taller ones offer shade to the ones below.
Since fertilizer is rare, cultivated soils eventually reach exhaustion. When this happens a new area is selected and a technique known as slash and burn takes place. This services the purpose of allowing an area to be cleaned and the ash thud releases nitrogen to the soil (a natural fertilizer). Nature will restore the old fields in a few years, thus making them suitable for planting again.
Second only to beans, corn is abundant and widely used staple. Its versatility is seemingly endless when it comes to preparation. Some of the more common ways in which corn is used include:
Besides the plants mentioned above, greens, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, and other vegetables are consumed.
Meat serves as only a minor dietary supplement for the Yucatan Maya. The Spanish introduced pigs, cattle and chickens. The latter animal is the principal meat for ceremonial occasions and has thus supplanted the indigenous turkey. Iguanas are also occasionally eaten during certain rituals. Additionally, deer, rabbits, fish, birds, mice, rats, wasp larvae and snails are consumed.