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Archaeological findings show the extent of primitive characteristics of maize in South America.

ABSTRACT: Scientific research has suggested that maize spread from Mexico and arrived in lowland South America in a state of partial domestication. However, archaeological samples with primitive morphological characteristics that corroborate this finding have not been recorded in the region thus far. Unexpectedly, many samples were identified in the Peruaçu Valley with characteristics never previously observed in South America. These archaeological samples with primitive characteristics, which are the focus of this work, represent the furthest records from the center of origin of the species and the longest duration of the maintenance of such characteristics (between 1010 and 570 years before present). The findings of this study, including archaeological samples, native races, and samples of teosinte, attest to a long history of maize diversification in lowland South America.

SUBMITTER: Costa FM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11373604 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Archaeological findings show the extent of primitive characteristics of maize in South America.

Costa Flaviane Malaquias FM Vidal Rafael R de Almeida Silva Natalia Carolina NC Veasey Elizabeth Ann EA de Oliveira Freitas Fabio F Zucchi Maria Imaculada MI

Science advances 20240904 36

Scientific research has suggested that maize spread from Mexico and arrived in lowland South America in a state of partial domestication. However, archaeological samples with primitive morphological characteristics that corroborate this finding have not been recorded in the region thus far. Unexpectedly, many samples were identified in the Peruaçu Valley with characteristics never previously observed in South America. These archaeological samples with primitive characteristics, which are the foc ...[more]

PMID: 39231236

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