Early isotopic evidence for maize as a staple grain in the Americas
Alternative Title
Science Advances
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Publication Date
6-3-2020
Volume Number
6
Issue Number
23
Abstract
Maize is a cultigen of global economic importance, but when it first became a staple grain in the Americas, was unknown and contested. Here, we report direct isotopic dietary evidence from 52 radiocarbon-dated human skeletons from two remarkably well-preserved rock-shelter contexts in the Maya Mountains of Belize spanning the past 10,000 years. Individuals dating before ~4700 calendar years before present (cal B.P.) show no clear evidence for the consumption of maize. Evidence for substantial maize consumption (~30% of total diet) appears in some individuals between 4700 and 4000 cal B.P. Isotopic evidence after 4000 cal B.P. indicates that maize became a persistently used staple grain comparable in dietary significance to later maize agriculturalists in the region (>70% of total diet). These data provide the earliest definitive evidence for maize as a staple grain in the Americas.
Document Type
Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba3245
Recommended Citation
Kennett, Douglas J.; Prufer, Kelth M.; and Culleton, Brendan J., "Early isotopic evidence for maize as a staple grain in the Americas" (2020). KIP Articles. 5880.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/5880
