María Teresa de Ledezma

A 17th-century indigenous Mexican inventor and agricultural innovator who revolutionized farming techniques

Born in 1598 in Tlaxcala, María Teresa de Ledezma defied colonial-era gender norms to develop terrace farming systems that combined pre-Hispanic knowledge with European tools. Her milpa intercropping method, documented in Codex Xochimilco, increased corn yields by 40% while preventing soil erosion.

She secretly taught her techniques through nahua pictorial manuscripts disguised as religious art, preserving indigenous ecological knowledge under Spanish rule. The Ledezma Rotation System is still used in modern permaculture.

Recent archaeological findings at Tepetlaoxtoc revealed stone irrigation channels matching her designs. Despite being erased from official records, her biodegradable pest control methods using chili and cactus extracts predated modern organic farming by three centuries.