Mesoamerican agricultural technology was characterized by a remarkable diversity of implements adapted to varied ecosystems and to highly specialized cultivation systems, such as the milpa, hillside terraces, and chinampas. Although the most emblematic tools were the coa and the axe, the hoe and the sickle also played an important role in crop management, the gathering of useful plants, and the processes of technological transition that followed European contact.
The sickle consists of a curved, serrated blade with a short wooden handle and was rapidly adopted for cutting plants by a pulling motion. Although it is now a commercially manufactured tool, it continues to be used in various stages of maize cultivation, such as tip-pruning and weed cutting, as well as in the cultivation and harvesting of commercial crops such as cereals and alfalfa, as is the case in central Veracruz. Unlike other agricultural implements, the sickle can be uncomfortable for the worker, since its use requires adopting a squatting or stooped position in order to make the cut.