ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the spatial and chronological radiation of maize and all current archaeological and paleoethnobotanical evidence of early Zea mays from Mesoamerica, Central America, and South America. It demonstrates that social uses of the plants' many products, including sugar, could have been as important in its early spread as were its nutritional uses. The chapter summarizes the current studies of directly dated maize macrobotanical remains, maps their distribution in the Americas, and compares these data with studies of indirectly dated maize microbotanical remains. Benz and Long, in their study of Tehuacn maize, suggests that before 2500 BC humans were initially interested in selecting maize ears with more kernels. Later they selected ears with larger kernel sizes. Genetic analysis of maize from the Ocampo caves indicates people were selecting for increased protein and starch quality, and that some specimens were similar to modern maize by 4450 BP.
