ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the journey of corn that has taken from central Mexico across the globe and how its perceptions have fit into the rhetoric of nature, commodity, culture, and heritage. It focuses on the conflicts and contrasts between these various rhetorical approaches, focusing on the social and economic roles of corn in Mexico. The chapter illustrates how the rhetorical tropes have converged as Mexico debates the future of corn as a genetically modified organism (GMO) in the country. The experience of the Tortillazo illustrates that Mexico is dependent on corn and that market pressures rather than changes in consumption behaviors have lead to social and civic action. It also suggests that Mexican officials need to consider more than economic concerns when developing future food and agricultural policy. In particular, the role of corn as a symbol of and vehicle for heritage turned out to be more important than the market-minded had anticipated.
