1
a
: a small field in Mexico or Central America that is cleared from the forest, cropped for a few seasons, and abandoned for a fresh clearing
b
: a corn field in Mexico or Central America
2
: the corn plant
Examples of milpa in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One is a giant monoculture Iowa farm, and the other is the milpa, this polyculture system that was the way corn was grown during its rise in Mesoamerica.
—
Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2024
The quail of the little milpas, which is what the Mexicans call their farm fields, are a case in point.
—Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2023
Continue south to Ixtenco, a traditional Otomí community, for lunch in the humble kitchen of the Baltazar family, whose cooking has its roots in the milpa, a pre-Hispanic farming system built around the symbiotic relationship between corn, squash, and beans.
—Michael Snyder, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2021
The Maya call this agricultural system milpa, and many other indigenous communities across Latin America have used it under different names.
—Agostino Petroni, National Geographic, 25 Nov. 2020
But in recent years that traditional knowledge has proved useless: The climate is dramatically changing, and for mothers like Díaz, her milpa had become an unproductive, festering sore.
—Deepa Fernandes, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2018
In years past, Díaz has grown enough fresh produce in the small family farm — called a milpa — to feed her children.
—Deepa Fernandes, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2018
The family’s daily meals come straight from the milpa.
—Deepa Fernandes, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2018
The farmers producing the heirloom beans and corn for Masienda practice the traditional MesoAmerican way of farming, milpa, which rotates corn, beans, and squash on the same land.
—Mari Uyehara, Bon Appetit, 19 June 2017
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Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2024
The quail of the little milpas, which is what the Mexicans call their farm fields, are a case in point.
—Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2023
Continue south to Ixtenco, a traditional Otomí community, for lunch in the humble kitchen of the Baltazar family, whose cooking has its roots in the milpa, a pre-Hispanic farming system built around the symbiotic relationship between corn, squash, and beans.
—Michael Snyder, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2021
The Maya call this agricultural system milpa, and many other indigenous communities across Latin America have used it under different names.
—Agostino Petroni, National Geographic, 25 Nov. 2020
But in recent years that traditional knowledge has proved useless: The climate is dramatically changing, and for mothers like Díaz, her milpa had become an unproductive, festering sore.
—Deepa Fernandes, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2018
In years past, Díaz has grown enough fresh produce in the small family farm — called a milpa — to feed her children.
—Deepa Fernandes, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2018
The family’s daily meals come straight from the milpa.
—Deepa Fernandes, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2018
The farmers producing the heirloom beans and corn for Masienda practice the traditional MesoAmerican way of farming, milpa, which rotates corn, beans, and squash on the same land.
—Mari Uyehara, Bon Appetit, 19 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Milpa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/milpa. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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