Metepantle is the original form of terraced agriculture in Mesoamerica and uses agave to create “walls” insted of stone. The word comes from the combination of three Nahuatl words– “metl” which means agave, “tepe” which means hill or ridge” and “apantli” which means wall, terrace, line or canal. The idea is to plant rows of agave that form an edge running along side a hill or ridge that will retain the soil behind it so that is can eventually be cultivated with various crops referred to as the “nepantla” in Nahuatl.
The true beauty of these terraces is that not only do they make cultivation possible on hillsides and lessen soil run off, they also allow for greater water absorption which is vitally important in water restricted areas. They are far less labor intensive than building a stone wall and over time, as the agave roots take hold, they retain even more soil on the terrace and in combination with rotating crops planted, create nutrient rich earth to sustain the land’s fertility.
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