maize cultivation began in the americas at the andes.
where did maize cultivation began in the americas?
the andes
Na
Na
maize reached the southwest via an unknown route from mexico. its diffusion was relatively rapid. one theory is that the maize cultivation was carried northward from central mexico by migrating farmers, most likely speakers of a uto-aztecan language. another theory, more accepted among scholars, is that maize was diffused northward from group to group rather than migrants. the first cultivation of maize in the southwest came during a climatic period when precipitation was relatively high. although maize cultivation spread rapidly in the southwest, the hunter-gatherers living in the region did not immediately adopt it as their primary source of nutrition, but rather integrated maize cultivation as one element, initially a minor element, in their foraging strategy. hunter-gatherers usually exploit a broad spectrum of food sources to minimize risk in the event that one or more of their principal sources of food fails.
agriculture in the prehistoric southwest