| Early Mesoamerican foods and diets prior to mass scale agriculture, featured hunting, fishing and gathering activities to provide nourishment. Four plants in particular, mesquite, nopal, maguey and wild maize, increasingly complimented a limited amount of animal protein provided through fishing and hunting (Kiple 2000:1248). The Mexica themselves were a nomadic tribe from the north prior to settling in the Basin of Mexico, and began their 200 year migration sometime around the year 1111 AD (1111-1325) (Berdan 2005:3-4). During their 200 years of wanderings, it appears the Mexica did have limited agriculture, but also survived off the land, as stated in the Codex Chimalpahin. "And everywhere they sowed seeds in the soil, and they ate what they needed: meat and the products of the lands (like) corn, beans, amaranth, chia, chilis, and tomatoes" (Codex Chimalpahin:77). |  Codex Mendoza |