How did the aztecs get their food?

Question:The Aztec staple foods included maize, beans and squash to which were often added chilis and tomatoes, all prominent parts of the Mexican diet to this day. They harvested acocils, a small and abundant shrimp of Lake Texcoco, as well as Spirulina algae, which was made into a sort of cake rich in flavonoids. Although Mesoamerican diet was largely vegetarian the Aztecs consumed insects such as grasshoppers (chapulines), maguey worm, ants, larvae, etc. Insects have a higher protein content than meat, and even now they are considered a delicacy in some parts of Mexico. The only domesticated animals known to the Aztecs were dogs and turkeys which were also both consumed. Wild game was also a part of the Aztec diet. Aztec elites are known to have consumed human flesh in certain ceremonial contexts but it is dubious that it ever formed an important part of their diet.

Aztecs also used maguey extensively; from it they obtained food, sweetening additives (aguamiel–"honey water"), fibers for ropes and clothing, and drink (pulque, a fermented beverage with an alcoholic content roughly equivalent to beer, used mainly in ceremonial contexts).

Cacao beans were used as money and also to make xocolatl, a frothy and bitter beverage, lacking the sweetness of modern chocolate drinks. The Aztecs also kept beehives and harvested honey.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The Aztec staple foods included maize, beans and squash to which were often added chilis and tomatoes, all prominent parts of the Mexican diet to this day. They harvested acocils, a small and abundant shrimp of Lake Texcoco, as well as Spirulina algae, which was made into a sort of cake rich in flavonoids. Although Mesoamerican diet was largely vegetarian the Aztecs consumed insects such as grasshoppers (chapulines), maguey worm, ants, larvae, etc. Insects have a higher protein content than meat, and even now they are considered a delicacy in some parts of Mexico. The only domesticated animals known to the Aztecs were dogs and turkeys which were also both consumed. Wild game was also a part of the Aztec diet. Aztec elites are known to have consumed human flesh in certain ceremonial contexts but it is dubious that it ever formed an important part of their diet.

Aztecs also used maguey extensively; from it they obtained food, sweetening additives (aguamiel–"honey water"), fibers for ropes and clothing, and drink (pulque, a fermented beverage with an alcoholic content roughly equivalent to beer, used mainly in ceremonial contexts).

Cacao beans were used as money and also to make xocolatl, a frothy and bitter beverage, lacking the sweetness of modern chocolate drinks. The Aztecs also kept beehives and harvested honey.

They knew how to farm already although they probably hunted as well.

They grew crops and hunted for wild game. Maize, beans and squash were the primary veggies in their diet. The maize was ground to make their version of tortillas which they used to eat with. Hunting for deer, wild bird and fishing provided meat. Gran ceremonies and sacrifices were celebrated to the many gods to insure the food supply would continue. I have not read where there was a shortage of food.

The Aztecs had tribes who used to grow crops and harvest the crops. These crops were collected and then sent to the king and his subjects to be distributed.