ABSTRACT
Lime-cooking or nixtamalization of maize was a key factor in the development of pre-Columbian cultures such as the Aztec and Mayan, and was critically important in enhancing the nutritional value of this staple grain. The maize plant played such an important role in the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations that many scriptures, ceremonials, and traditions were closely related to the grain. The Aztecs worshiped the Maize god named Centeotl and goddess Chicomecoatl, which represented the welfare of the population. Likewise, the Mayans deified a god of maize and vegetation, Yum Kaax (Serna-Saldivar et al. 1990, Paredes-López et al. 2000).
