, ▁exam ining ▁the ▁As per o ▁region ▁of ▁Norte ▁Ch ico , ▁Michael ▁E . ▁M ose ley ▁cont ended ▁that ▁a ▁mar itime ▁subs istence ▁( se a fo od ) ▁economy ▁had ▁been ▁the ▁basis ▁of ▁society ▁and ▁its ▁early ▁fl our ishing . ▁This ▁theory , ▁later ▁term ed ▁" mar itime ▁foundation ▁of ▁And e an ▁Civil ization " ▁was ▁at ▁odd s ▁with ▁the ▁general ▁scholar ly ▁cons ensus ▁that ▁civil ization ▁arose ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁int ensive ▁gra in - based ▁agricult ure , ▁as ▁had ▁been ▁the ▁case ▁in ▁the ▁emer gence ▁of ▁civil izations ▁in ▁n ortheast ▁Africa ▁( E gypt ) ▁and ▁south west ▁Asia ▁( M es op ot am ia ). ▁ ▁While ▁earlier ▁research ▁pointed ▁to ▁ed ible ▁domestic ▁plants ▁such ▁as ▁squ ash , ▁be ans , ▁luc uma , ▁gu ava , ▁pac ay , ▁and ▁cam ote ▁at ▁Car al , ▁publications ▁by ▁Ha as ▁and ▁colle agues ▁have ▁added ▁av oc ado , ▁ach ira , ▁and ▁ma ize ▁( Z ea ▁M ays ) ▁to ▁the ▁list ▁of ▁food s ▁consum ed ▁in ▁the ▁region . ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 3 , ▁Ha as ▁and ▁colle agues ▁reported ▁that ▁ma ize ▁was ▁a ▁primary ▁component ▁of ▁the ▁di et ▁throughout ▁the ▁period ▁of ▁ 3 0 0 0 ▁to ▁ 1 8 0 0 ▁BC . ▁ ▁Cot ton ▁was ▁another ▁w ides p read ▁c rop ▁in ▁Norte ▁Ch ico , ▁essential