Table of Contents

1. The maize problematic; 2. Maize as seen by Europeans; 3. The origin of maize; 4. The domestication of maize; 5. The archaeological evidence; 6. The role of maize in Andean culture; 7. Maize as seen by the first Europeans; 8. The dispersal of maize around the world; 9. Chica; 10. Discussion and conclusions; Appendix Alexander Grobman.

Promotional Information

This book examines one of the thorniest problems of ancient American archaeology: the origins and domestication of maize.

About the Author

Duccio Bonavia held professorships at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Universidad Nacional San Cristobal de Huamanga (Ayacucho) and at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Lima), before he retired in 2005. He served as the Assistant Director of the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Antropología de Lima and has written fourteen books, including Peru: Hombre e Historia, Mural Paintings in Ancient Peru and The South American Camelids.

Reviews

'Maize: Origin, Domestication, and its Role in the Development of Culture is perhaps best seen as a provoking and critical appraisal of the current corpus of evidence for the expert reader. Extensively and meticulously referenced, it provides a wealth of data to explore and a wealth of critical perspectives to consider.' Penny Jones, Archaeological Review from Cambridge