Foresta e perturbazione antropica. L’agroecosistema della Milpa come esempio di co-abitazione

What can be a model of urban development congenial to the human, plant and animal population? Is it possible to implement a model that is useful in our time?The article focuses on the critical analysis of an agroecosystem dating back to the Maya population and aims to obtain useful information on the relationships between human settlements and natural habitats. Starting from the agroecosystem of corn cultivation used in Mesoamerica, we intend to investigate the symbiotic relationship between indigenous agricultural communities and the ecosystem in which they are located. The investigation of the relationship between forest, settlements and agricultural production of a pre-Columbian civilization is the starting point for a broader reflection on the issue of co-habitation in the expanding city towards complex ecosystems, rich in natural biodiversity.The work here presented is the result of what emerged during a field work carried out in 2018 in the Mexican peninsula of Yucatan, the story of encounters that shows the negotiation between different beings: plants, men and even spirits, result in a complex ecosystem.