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essay in domestication of maize
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Spanish chroniclers of the same period also collaborate the importance of maize in Andean culture. During harvest time, their were large celebrations were maize were carried to homes, while people sang and prayed for the longevity of the plant (Bonavia, 2013, p. 224). They had a three day ceremony were they ate and drank and watched over what they called Mama Zara which translates to Mother of Maize (Bonavia, 2013, p. 224). The best of the ears where said to be wrapped in the finest blankets that the family had (Bonavia, 2013, p. 224). According to the analyze done by Finucane and a number his colleagues of collagen in humans and animal skeletons showed that maize was the main component of diet of people in the Huari Empire from 550- 10000 AD (Finucane, Agurto, & Isbell, 2006). This dates the consumption of maize in the Andean region to pre-ceramics times. He went on to say that maize was the staple that supported both urban and rural populations(Finucane, Agurto, & Isbell, 2006). Corn has been a mainstay in Latin American culture and cuisine up until present day. Generations have grown, cultivated, and used corn for sustenance, rituals, celebrations, and a variety of other practices (Staller, 2010).
Maize shares 90% of its genome with its wild progenitor teosinte. The remaining 10% contain genes vital to teosinte survival in the wild (Bonavia, 2013, p. 246). However; maize varies substantially from teosinte morphologically. The main physical differences between the two are as follows:
1. The ear of teosinte is fragile and shatters, while that of domesticated corn is non-shattering.
2. Teosinte ears have two rows, while maize ears have multiple rows. Usually four or more.
3. In teosinte, only one of the two female spikelets are...
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Rice, P. M. (2007). In the Beginning. In Maya calendar origins: Monuments, mythistory, and the materialization of time (pp. 23-28). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
The role of women in the conservation of the genetic resources of maize. (n.d.). Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y3841e/y3841e04.htm#TopOfPage
Staller, J. (2010). Maize Cobs and Cultures: History of Zea mays L. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Zea mays (Mielies, Corn). (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/plants/poaceae/zea_mays.htm
Zea mays Sweet Corn PFAF Plant Database. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2014, from http://www.pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Zea+mays
Zeder, M. A. (2006). Documenting domestication: New genetic and archaeological paradigms. Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press.
It is very likely that most people have heard about the Mayan Civilization in one way or another. Whether fictitious or factual, this ancient culture iw idelt recognized. The Mayan people lived from about 250 to 900 CE in Mesoamerica. Which includes modern day Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and parts of southern Mexico.These people had many remarkable achievements, all of which can fit under the categories of scale, genius effort, and significance. These achievements include an advanced trade system, an amazing understanding of numbers, and the ability to design and build cities that are still mostly standing today. However, their most impressive achievement is their complex calendars.
In the New York Times article “When a Crop Becomes a King”, author Michael Pollan argues there is an overproduction of corn that does more harm than it does good. He writes this in response to a farm bill signed by then President Bush to increase the budget for corn production which caused much controversy. Pollan uses an infuriated and frustrated tone in order to convince American consumers that corn has taken over their environment and economy. Michael Pollan uses rhetorical strategies to challenge conventional views of corn and to argue against additional corn production.
The Popol Vuh doesn’t fall short in referencing and glorifying maize. One such reference in the Popol Vuh categorizes maize as a way to determine fate; if an ear of maize is planted and dries up, it indicates death. The article, “The Flowering of the Dead” concludes, “In Atiteco religion, ‘Flowering Mountain Earth’ is a place at the world’s centre whose primary manifestation is a maize plant or tree.” (Carlsen 27). A “Flowering Mountain Earth” is the center of the world that represents life, beauty, and the gods. Among this place, maize is an important object that animates and projects the qualities of a Flowering Mountain Earth. Maize is axis mundi, the center of the world. It is a staple crop in the Maya people; it is essential to the people and heavily relied on. The Maya saw maize as a fetish that truly gave them everything. Without it, everything that ties the Maya together falls apart. Successful growth of maize represents the life and well-being of the Maya, while a dying maize plant all but points to death and the failure of civilization. It is with the importance of maize in Maya culture, that it is omnipresent throughout the Popol
In the first third of the book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, he draws the reader in by bringing to light many interesting facts about corn that most individuals may not realize. He states that the majority of food that people consume contains corn. Although people of Mexican descent are usually referred to as the “corn people”, Americans have now surpassed them in the amount of corn consumed in their daily diet. Corn is consumed in a variety of forms and many of the animals that are eaten by Americans, such as the chicken, pig, turkey, and lamb are fed corn. When a person eats these animals, he or she is essentially increasing their corn intake, and in most cases without even realizing it. The corn crop has spread vastly and is massively produced because it is efficient. Unlike other crop plants, corn can survive in harsh weather conditions and it is light and easy to transport. Maize is also self-fertilized and pollinated by wind, and it has evolved over time and continues to evolve, into new forms and new uses.
Upon arrival in the Americas, Europeans set out to make wheat the standard grain in the lands they had discovered; the establishment of wheat was both functional, as it was a staple of the European diet, as well as an attempt to institutionalize European control. While wheat did gain some ground in the Americas, especially among the upper classes, it failed to surmount maize as the “the foundation of indigenous livelihood.” The persistence of maize as a staple of the indigenous way of life is not shocking, as J. Eric Thompson writes: “Maize was a great deal more than the economic basis of Maya civilization: it was the focal point of worship, and to it every Maya who worked the soil built a shrine in his own heart.” The Americas were not
One of the methods to acquire food for the Cahuilla was through Gathering and Harvesting seasonal foods. One of the most notable food the Cahuilla’s enjoyed was the Pinion Nuts. Pinion Nuts derive from a pine tree that is local to the South Western California and upper Mexico. The pine tree contains a small edible s...
The Anasazi Indians developed their farming methods gradually once they found the perfect homelands. They would grow and eat corn, squash, pinon nuts, fruits and berries. Once the corn was fully-grown, the Anasazi women ground the corn with ametate and a mano. The metate is a "flat stone receptacle" and the mano is a "hand-held stone" (Ferguson...
Physical achievements by Mesoamerican Indians include the floating garden cities created in lakes for protection against attacks. These also allow for fertile growing of plants as recorded by Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes in Document 5. Tehuacan was also the site of the first planting of corn around 8000 B.C.E. as depicted by the image in Document 7.
corn. The Popol Vuh makes clear the importance of maize to the Maya culture, and maize has
In the ruins of ancient Peru and Chili, the remains of potatoes dating back to 500 B.C. have been found. Potatoes were such a part of Incan life that they not only ate them, but they worshiped them. "O Creator! Thou who givest life to all things and hast made men that they may live, and multiply. Multiply also the fruits of the earth, the potatoes and other food that thou hast made, that men may not suffer from hunger and misery."- Incan Prayer used to worship potatoes.
Mott, N. (2012) Why the Maya Fell: Climate Change, Conflict—And a Trip to the Beach? [online]
August 13th, 1521 marked the end of a diabolical, yet genius group of leaders. They were referred to as the Aztecs. They were an extremely advanced ancient civilization. The Aztec’s were overthrown by the Spanish, yet we still haven’t forgotten the Aztecs. But since their culture was so complex it’s hard to know what is the most necessary thing to study when it comes to them, especially when their were so many things that defined their culture. The Aztecs were highly religious and believed in human sacrifice. They also had a complex method of farming called chinampas. This grew an extremely large amount of food per year by using canals. This was extremely successful because of how complex it was. When asked if historians should emphasize agriculture
Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2009. Print. The. Houston, Stephen. A. “Classic Maya Religion: Beliefs and practices of an Ancient American People.”
This source was one of the most useful for the research of the collateral. It is a PDF file of the Columbian Exchange and all the background information of the trade, as well as an extensive list of foods are provided. Cacao beans, while not a staple crop, was very influential in the trade network. This journal was useful in providing details on the importance of cacao, and its significance over time.
Throughout the history of the human race there have been a great number of crops that were discovered, planted, and over time domesticated. Wheat in the Middle East, rice in Asia, and rye in Eastern Europe are all some of today’s staple crops that feed millions every day. Crops like these make up over 50% of the world’s total food supply. However, the third most eaten crop in the world is maize, or corn, which provides 21% of human nutrition. Today maize feeds millions across the world, but its history is different from the others.