Maize was domesticated from a wild grass called teosinte in the Balsas River valley of southern Mexico around 9,000 years ago, one of the most dramatic transformations in the history of plant breeding: teosinte' s few small, hard-cased kernels along a branching stalk were reshaped over generations of human selection into the single thick ear and soft, closely packed kernels of modern maize. From its Mesoamerican origin the crop spread north and south across the Americas long before European contact, becoming a staple of civilizations from the Mississippian mound builders to the Inca, and after 1492 it became one of the pillars of the Columbian Exchange, spreading to become a staple crop on every populated continent.
Facts
Partially Attested
Milestone YearConverted from the source's about 9,000 years ago to an approximate calendar year. LocationBalsas River valley, southern Mexico 1 Classification
Type/ClassificationAgricultural Revolution or Transformation 1 Connections
Associated With
Maize, Crops This milestone records the domestication event of the maize crop it is directly named for.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Maize
Pre-Columbian history section, first sentence
Maize was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte.
Pre-Columbian history section, Balsas passage
The middle part of the short Balsas River valley is the likely location of early domestication.
lead description (milestone-kind)
Maize was domesticated from a wild grass called teosinte in the Balsas River valley of southern Mexico around 9,000 years ago, one of the most dramatic transformations in the history of plant breeding: teosinte' s few small, hard-cased kernels along a branching stalk were reshaped over generations of human selection into the single thick ear and soft, closely packed kernels of modern maize.
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