"The ramón is one of the oldest products of the Maya culture. In nutrition, ramón has since the Mayan times nourished like maíz [corn], it is a complement to maíz." Carolina Alvarado, Uaxactun
While it remains unclear where it was a main staple of Mayan culture diet or an emergency food, it is clear that it was highly important to Maya civilization. Ramón was cultivated and used by the ancient Mayan civilization from 300 to 900 AD.
Ramón trees are prevalent near Mayan ruins, suggesting that ancient Mayans cultivated them and used them as a subsistence food. Some research shows that the ramón tree was the reason why ancient Mayan civilizations were able to sustain their population and thrive. The soil conditions around the Mayan ruins were very favorable for ramón’s habitat to grow abundantly.
"Ramon tree that's common in the Maya biosphere reserve and common throughout Central America and Mexico it was used by the maya civilization and there's a discussion about whether it was a staple or an emergency food but one of the things that you do see is that you know there’s large concentrations of ramón trees around the mayan ruins." Dr. Dean Current, University of Minnesota, Forestry
Study shows that due to the high concentration of ramón trees around the Maya ruins and it being nutritious and high protein seed, the ancient inhabitants of Maya relied on this plant as much as or perhaps even more than on maize.
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