An Archaeology of Milpa Cultures: Maize and Ecological Worldbuilding in Central Mexico

Inside the farming traditions that have supported food sovereignty and community resistance in past and present Tlaxcala

In this book, Keitlyn Alcántara draws on research from the state of Tlaxcala in Mexico to describe how its people resisted imperial domination and survived centuries of upheaval. Threatened by embargoes from the Aztec Empire and later colonial pressures, the Tlaxcalteca relied on the milpa--a maize-based agricultural system--and on the many wild plants within it that supported change and survival. Alcántara reveals the milpa as a living foodweb and philosophy of interconnection that sustained communities through terrace farming, household gardens, use of wild and domesticated fruit and nut trees, and stewardship of rivers and wetlands.

An Archaeology of Milpa Cultures bridges past and present to show how ancient strategies of interdependence continue to nourish contemporary campesino food sovereignty movements in Tlaxcala, even amid industrial pollution and monocropped landscapes. Incorporating bioarchaeological dietary isotope studies, Indigenous worldviews, and ethnographic research, this book illuminates how food sovereignty became a cornerstone of community resistance. Alcántara demonstrates that the lessons of the milpa inspire new visions for climate resilience, inviting readers to imagine a future rooted in collaboration, diversity, and care for the land.