Maíz in the Americas: Domestication, Sustenance, and Indigeneity Rev. August 23, 2015

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1 1 RIO HONDO COLLEGE - DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES Humanities 125: Introduction to Mexican Culture (Web & Honors) Professor Garcia / / / sgarcia@riohondo.edu Maíz in the Americas: Domestication, Sustenance, and Indigeneity Rev. August 23, 2015 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (SLO s): The purpose of the Maíz worksheet aims to allow students a comprehensive overview of the domestication of maíz and its importance among people of the America s, past and present. After completing the Maíz worksheet you should be able to 1) describe where maíz was domesticated, 2) describe the material culture associated with maíz use, 3) explain what maíz symbolized from a ritual and ceremonial standpoint, and 4) explain how maíz serves as a model for revitalizing ancestral ways of being. WO RD SEARCH S E P I G R A P H Y V N M Y R C N L L P S U U T F O R M A T I V E P E R I O D O Y J P R B F A R C H A E O L O G Y U O M E V L M B H S I S M H X H C O M A L X B A P A L T L S R I G D E A Q M A V E S E T T E L M E N T T L S U I O U L U B H S E T V T M E N T S E A D T R G B C U E E D O R V Z X D X H U G J N G E C U C U R B I T A S P P E R S O D O R A D N N E C L V C K V M S B V B Q O X Y L E N E C E R R O C K S H E L T E R E C A B F M A F E F R C S Q U B Z R V L C L V I M A C O N A D G E B S V D Z G I D A W A U E E V O L C M U T R M A N O A N C M E A G T T S R A I E Z E P O Q L W B F A A I L Y R K Y O M A I Z E L B I V H C S I B I T K U I C U A A T O V C M A N O A N D M E T A T E C T H M I O P N N A S L I A D D D O B O B F U W A A B F T Y A N A B T E O S I N T E D O L M E C E M H Q N A L R X V B A U E K I W A T W I I K L I A E T T E N U G U I L A N A Q U I T Z C A V E T C E N T R A L B A L S A S R I V E R I H P S X I H U A T O X T L A S H E L T E R C I F U F L O O D P L A I N R E S O U R C E S T Y S DIRECTIONS Search for the following terms in the above word bank, than proceed to define each using your classroom lecture notes, and the mandated readings (Arnold 2009; Ranere et al. 2009; Taube 1989 [see page 4 of this handout]). Mesoamerica Teosinte Maíz (corn) Mano and Metate Basalt Cucurbita spp. Guila Naquitz Cave Subsistence Central Balas Rivers Tamale Rock Shelter Xihuatoxtla Shelter La Joya Olmec Archaeology Formative Period Agriculture Floodplain resources Settlement Complex society Comal Epigraphy Sustenance

Maíz (corn) along with beans and squash make up the three sister crops, of the Americas.

Moreover, maíz served a number of ritual purposes, and was often manifested in the epigraphy, art, and architecture of Mesoamerican peoples.

Define the following terms in their relation to one another: Domestication: Teosinte: Maíz: Mano and Metate: The origin of maíz and its age is often debated among researchers, yet despite

2 Maíz (corn) along with beans and squash make up the three sister crops, of the Americas. The three provide a well-balanced nutritional intake of sustenance (food) that could be prepared and served in a number of arrays. Moreover, maíz served a number of ritual purposes, and was often manifested in the epigraphy, art, and architecture of Mesoamerican peoples. Unlike beans and squash though, maíz was a product of domestication by humans. Define the following terms in their relation to one another: Domestication: Teosinte: Maíz: Mano and Metate: The origin of maíz and its age is often debated among researchers, yet despite disagreements science and research has shed some light on places where it has been found and its age. To answer the questions below please read Ranere et al According to Ranere et al. 2009, domesticated maíz in Mexico dates to what period in calendrical years? 2. According to Ranere et al. 2009, the wild ancestor of maíz was and was native to of Mexico. 3. Once maíz was domesticated in Mexico, it spread to what parts of the Americas, and during what time? 4. What types of stones found at Xihuatoxtla Shelter indicate that maíz was being processed? 5. According to Ranere et al. 2009, maíz was planted in what environmental context? And why? Tamales are just one of the many foods that can be made from maíz. How many more food products can you list below, made from maíz:

How masa for tamales is made The Maíz Tamale among the Classic Maya Read Karl A. Taube s (1998) The Maíz Tamale in Classic Maya Diet, Epigraphy, and Art and answer the following questions: 1.

3 How masa for tamales is made The Maíz Tamale among the Classic Maya Read Karl A. Taube s (1998) The Maíz Tamale in Classic Maya Diet, Epigraphy, and Art and answer the following questions: 1. What s a tamale? How do you say tamale in Classic Maya language? Why was it important? 2. What evidences does Karl A. Taube (1998) examine to better understand the tamale in Classic Maya society? 3. Describe the maíz symbol? What s it look like? Draw it here! 4. What other meanings does the Maya word for maíz have? Describe at least three: _ 5. In addition to serving as food, what other uses did the tamale have? What was it identified with? Three staple crops of the Americas Maíz / Beans / Squash What is the nutritional value of each staple food? Describe the morphology of each plant, and how it grows. Maíz: Beans: Squash: 3

A corn or a fish diet among the Olmec? Read Phillip J. Arnolds s (2009) Settlement and subsistence among the Early Formative Gulf Olmec, than answer the following questions: 1.

4 A corn or a fish diet among the Olmec? Read Phillip J. Arnolds s (2009) Settlement and subsistence among the Early Formative Gulf Olmec, than answer the following questions: 1. According to recent research and Phillip J. Arnold, the primary diet of Early Formative ( B.C.) groups (including the Olmec) was: 2. Phillip Arnold cites the work of Wing (1978). According to Wing (1978), the Olmec at San Lorenzo ate lots of for protein. 3. Define the term agricentrism, it implies what? 4. What kind of data/evidence are archaeologists examining to better understand the diet of Early and Middle Formative people in Mesoamerica: 5. List at least ten types of flora and fauna (plants and animals) eaten by the La Joya Olmec: 6. When did the consumption of maíz become an important part of the Olmec diet? During what period? How did this impact daily Olmec life? Required Maíz Readings Arnold, Phillip J Settlement and subsistence among the Early Formative Gulf Olmec. In Journal of Anthropological Anthropology, (28), 2009, pp Ranere, Anthony J., Dolores R. Piperno, Irene Holst, Ruth Dickau, and José Iriarte 2009 The cultural and chronological context of early Holocene maíz and squash domestication in the Central Balsas River Valley, Mexico. In PNAS, 106 (13), 2009, pp Taube, Karl A The Maíz Tamale in Classic Maya Diet, Epigraphy, and Art. In American Antiquity, 54 (1), 1989, pp Rodriquez, Roberto Cintli Our Sacred Mother is our Maiz 4

Seven Maíz-Based concepts from the book Our Sacred Maíz Is Our Mother: Indigeneity and Belonging in the Americas by Roberto Cintli Rodríguez (2014).

5 Seven Maíz-Based concepts from the book Our Sacred Maíz Is Our Mother: Indigeneity and Belonging in the Americas by Roberto Cintli Rodríguez (2014). Worksheet developed by Santiago Andres Garcia 6/23/2015, Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences, Rio Hondo College, 3600 Workman Mill Road, Whittier CA,

Geography of the Americas

STATION ACTIVITY Geography of the Americas NAME: Directions: Using each station s text and maps, complete this graphic organizer. Olmec Mayans Aztecs Incas Where was this people group located? (include