Definition of "milpa" [milpa]

• Among the ancient Aztecs, a garden-bed assigned out of the communal land to a particular family. (noun)
• A cultivated field, especially a field of maize. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "Miltomatl stands for a 'tomato' from the milpa, which is a polycultural agrosystem with maize and beans as main crops."
• "My wife hiked up to see her milpa with its magnificent views of nearby mountains and canyons and was mightily impressed."
• "When I say I go native in Chiapas I mean eating tamales and visiting indigenous villages and beautiful places, not living in a primitive hut on a mountaintop scratching out a living in my tiny milpa while taking care of 10 kids who work the streets of San Cristóbal 12 hours a day selling chiclets and hoping to survive another day."