Maize as we know it looks very different from its wild ancestor. The ancient cob is less than a 10th of the size of modern corn cobs, at about 2cm (0.8inch) long.

The seeds of the Inca Empire were planted about 2,700 years ago when a warm spell combined with piles of llama excrement allowed maize agriculture to take root high up in the South American Andes ...

Varieties of maize found near Cuscu and Machu Pichu at Salineras de Maras on the Inca Sacred Valley in Peru, June 2007. Credit: Fabio de Oliveira ... Teosinte bears little resemblance to the corn ...

Analyses revealed maize phytoliths from both leaf and cob. ... Pre-Inca people stomped salutes to their thunder god on a special dance floor By Bruce Bower August 22, 2023.

WHILE accepting the American origin of maize, the question of its existence in Europe before the days of Columbus has been revived by recent archæological finds in Yoruba territory. Goodwin (ref ...

A genetic link between Northern Flints and 1,000-year-old Ozark maize. By reconstructing the genomes of archaeological maize cobs and kernels, the study reveals that 1,000-year-old maize from ...