Timing the rise of maize in Mesoamerica

Abstract

Archaeology Many lines of evidence suggest that maize ( Zea mays ) became a dietary staple across ancient Mesoamerica. However, there has been little direct evidence of its consumption, and the timing of how it came to dominate the diet of the peoples of the region is unknown. Using stable isotopic evidence from human skeletons excavated from two rock shelter sites in Belize, Kennett et al. show that there is no clear evidence of maize consumption by the sites' inhabitants before 4700 years ago. However, isotopes from more recent individuals show the increasing importance of maize in the diet, such that by 4000 years ago, maize had become a persistent dietary staple. Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.aba3245 (2020).