ABSTRACT
The Caribbean Islands have a human history that spans several millennia before the fateful arrival of Europeans late in the fifteenth century, with indigenous people whose roots can be traced back to at least two continental homelands. The cultural significance and long history of maize use in other regions of the America is well documented, but corresponding information on the antiquity and use of the plant in Caribbean has until recently been limited. This chapter outlines this evidence, which is composed of cob fragments, kernels, starch, phytoliths, and pollen from several sites. It considers maize's status among a suite of edible plant resources that were cultivated prehistorically in the islands. The chapter explores the possibility that maize served a role in Caribbean Indian life apart from being strictly a food item. It discusses some of the ethnohistoric records concerning maize and Tano Indian plant cultivation practices. The chapter explores related issues to rectify that information with the archaeological data.
