Maya mythology
The Maya diet focused on three domesticated staple crops: maize, squash, and beans (typically "Phaseolus vulgaris"). Among the three, maize was the central component of the diet of the ancient Maya and figured prominently in Maya mythology and ideology. Archaeological evidence suggests that Chapalote-Nal-Tel was the dominant maize species, though it is likely others were being exploited also. Maize was used and eaten in a variety of ways, but was always nixtamalized.