| 释义 |
milpa|ˈmɪlpə|
[Mexican Sp.]
In Central America and Mexico, a small cultivated field, usually of corn or maize; also, designating a method of cultivation practised in tropical regions (see quot. 1936).
1844J. Gregg Commerce Prairies I. 150 The labores and milpas (cultivated fields) are often..without any enclosure. 1869J. R. Browne Adventures Apache Country 164 Our houses were closely picketed in the milpas, or corn-fields, down by the river. 1934A. Huxley Beyond Mexique Bay 216 The peasant may need only two or three acres for his milpa. 1936Nature 26 Dec. 1090/1 The cultivation of maize..is on the milpa system; that is, a plot, after being burned off, is cultivated for two years, when it is allowed to revert to forest conditions, taking about eight to ten years to become completely re-established and ready for burning off again. 1956R. Redfield Peasant Society & Culture iv. 118 To the Maya Indian labor on the milpa is dignified by its connections with religion and manly virtue. 1964Sci. Amer. Nov. 101/1 In Central America the Mayas,..who depended greatly on the milpa system of agriculture, were forced to abandon their cities and move north into Mexico. 1974Environmental Conservation I. 17/1 This is the so-called ‘slash-and-burn’ or ‘milpa’ system, as practised in the humid tropics. |