Tenochtitlán, 15th Century

$38.00

taming the tomato in chinampas

era: crossroads

elements: vine-ripened tomato • fresh water • tobacco • pepper • earth

feel: ripe, bright & alive

intensity: medium

The singular aroma of tomato on the vine melds with pepper, tobacco, and fresh water in the floating gardens called chinampas that surround the Aztec capital and feed its 200,000 residents. The wild tomato likely evolves in the Andes tens of thousands of years ago, but it is first domesticated in Central America and is widely found in Tenochtitlán’s many markets in the 15th century. To learn more about the evolutionary history of what might be humanity’s favorite food, see this scientific paper.