Cahokia – Nixtamalization
Instructions:
View the film linked below (only 15 minutes) and then begin your assignment.
When writing your essay, cite relevant historical evidence in support of your generalizations, present your arguments clearly and logically and provide examples.
Prompt: The Native Americans of Mesoamerica and South America used a process called nixtamalization to improve the nutritional value of maize (corn). In the short film about Cahokia (http://cahokiamounds.org/learn/video), you can see that the city was entirely dependent on corn crops for food and trade. Some historians and scientists suggest that nutritional problems are one of the possible reasons why this major Amerindian city mysteriously declined and disappeared. Doing research using academic sources, answer the question of whether you think nutritional deficiencies may have been the cause for the end of Cahokia. Is nixtamalization the key to the question, or a false lead?