What farming technique is notably associated with the Maya?

The farming technique notably associated with the Maya is slash-and-burn agriculture. This method involves cutting down vegetation in a specific area and then burning it to clear the land for cultivation. This technique was beneficial for the Maya because it created fertile soil enriched with nutrients from the burnt vegetation. The ashes acted as a natural fertilizer, promoting the growth of crops such as maize, beans, and squash, which were staples in their diet.

The practice of slash-and-burn agriculture allowed the Maya to adapt to the tropical rainforest environment in which they lived. It provided a way to cultivate land that was otherwise challenging due to dense vegetation and poor soil fertility. After several years of cultivation, they would typically move to a new site and repeat the process, allowing the previously used land to regenerate.

While terrace farming is another important agricultural technique that certain Mesoamerican cultures employed to maximize arable land on steep slopes, it is not as closely associated specifically with the Maya as slash-and-burn. Hydroponics, a technique involving growing plants in nutrient-rich water, and crop rotation, which involves alternating crops to maintain soil fertility, were not primarily practiced by the Maya in their traditional agricultural systems.