Women The women of Mayan tribes did all the
cooking. On the rode to being alive you have to eat. To eat
you have to cook. On this page you will read what women had
to do to feed her family. To start cooking at dawn would be
hard for me , but they did it every day. To start their day,
she would warm the cakes and toast the tortillas. A very hot
job! They did this because the men had to leave to go to the
field. The women fixed the tortillas the day ahead to be a
day ahead on their chores. After the men had left for the
fields, they would start to boil the corn after it had
soaked over night. The next step would be to soak boiled
husks. Removing boiled water mixed with ashes to help soften
husks, the husks would float to the top. Next, they washed
the kernels, and took the husks out of the water. The next
step was to grind the kernels on a large stone grinder with
a long handle. Both hands were needed to hold on to the
grinder. The kernels would be ground to a pulp. The next
exhausting step was to knead the pulp together. (that is
like slapping it together) Then, they put corn cakes into
covered pot to await the afternoon meal. They began the
whole process again by starting the corn soaking for the
next day. They would make a whole lot for a
trip. In the tortillas business, they would
scoop dough into their palms and slap it back and forth
until they were paper-thin, then bake them. Next, they would
set them close to the fire to keep warm. The family could
eat as many as a hundred at a time! Women of the Mayan tribe were always
busy with things like cooking, caring for her children,
feeding her few turkeys and dogs, nursing and washing babies
, grinding corn, cleaning house, weaving cloths, mats, and
blankets for the entire family. She had to wash clothes
frequently because family members had only two changes of
clothes per person. When spring came, she sometimes she
helped her husband in their corn field . If there was no
more to do during planting, she would weed or harvest. When
she walked home, she carried corn, beans, squash AND her
baby behind her husband!!!!!!!! Corn fields used to be near
the house, but the soil became exhausted due overuse, so
they had to move their farms farther away. Housewives stored corn in a dry place
in their house. The shelled corn went in a basket or sacks.
If there was a good harvest and the wife felt they had
enough corn for her family for the rest of the year, her
husband would sell the rest in the market. There, he would
buy luxuries for him and his family. Husbands never sold any
food without the wife's consent. The wife did not have to
ask her husband before selling food. The woman grew the
food, so she could do anything that seem fit. If the mother
thought she had enough herbs for the year, she could do what
seemed fit to her. Children did not have to go to school
. Their main focus was their art work. Men A Mayan man's farm depended entirely
on rainfall. The people of the Mayan tribe were about 5' 1"
tall. Their houses had a simple foundation made of stone
called wattle. Wattle was dried mud and sticks. The corners
of the house were rounded. This made it easy to put wattle
on. The roof peaked and was covered with thatch. Thatch was
made from rushes, grass, and palm leaves. The thatch was
covered with dirt and stones. The hut, or house, was built
near the corn field. The house had no windows. There was two
openings in the house facing each other to provide
ventilation in the hot weather. In colder weather, the
openings were covered with mats for greater warmth and
privacy. The floor of the house was the bare earth. Their
was no furniture. They spread out mats and skins for seats
and beds and they ate on the mats. The fire was for cooking
and for warmth. The fire was often in the shed. Even the
priest slept on the floor. The Mayans settled near natural water.
It is the man's responsibility for supplying his family with
food, and shelter. The woman is not responsible .
The clothes are used like pajamas in
the Mayan civilization. They slept in their clothes. After
festivals, the men put away their valuable clothing, then
they would put on simple clothing and return home. Then eat
a simple meal on the floor upon mats with their family. They
also slept on the floor upon mats. In cooler climates, beds
are raised off the floor by poles. Long ago, the Mayans were rich, had
great food, shelter, and clothing. They liked their work,
and the fields were owned by everyone. A man got an amount
food from the field according to his family size. Now, they
are poor by western standards. They have little food and
consume only 2000 calories per day. The Mayans of today have
meager clothing, they are barefooted, and they work for
little pay. On a farm, it was necessary to clear
the land for fields. They grew different types of corn. The
corn that they grew is different from corn in the United
States. It was softer and the kernels grew in bushy plants.
The plants were not as tall , and the cobs were smaller. The
men spent an average of 2 hours in the corn fields a day.
Families called the corn field the col. When it was not planting season, the
men quarried stone, built temples, and worked on roads. Men
and boys went to the fields before dawn. By mid day, they
had already put in eight hours in the fields. When the men
returned from the fields, it was early afternoon. The wives
had water ready for the evening bath. The men could do
anything after taking the bathes, such as sitting in the
shade, making tools, or playing with the children. Men did
not discipline their children, however, because that was
left up to the wives. When the man's farmhand had the corn
bent over and left to dry on their stalks, he could do
anything. He worked from October till spring . When corn was
needed again in the house, he will go to the field and bring
back a sack with about 100 pounds of corn. That corn would
last 10 to 14 days.