Ancient migrants carrying maize from south were early Maya ancestors, says study

New research published this week by the University of New Mexico shows that a site in Belize was important in studying the origins of the ancient Maya people and the spread of maize as a staple food. The paper titled South-to-North migration preceded the advent of intensive farming in the Maya region and was published this week in Nature Communications.

Prufer and his colleagues excavated 25 burials dating from 10,000 to 3,700 years ago from two cave or rock shelter sites in the remote Maya Mountains of Belize, Central America. The people living below the overhang of tall limestone cliffs were protected from the everyday debris and burials of the dead for over 7,000 years.

An early southward migration of people from the north by 9,600 to 7,300 years ago shows only distant relatedness to present-day Maya-speaking populations. Prufer's lab led the archeological and isotope research, which shows that this new ancestry was derived from an ancestral source to present-day Chibchan speakers.

Prufer said that the research is exciting and ground-breaking because the genetic prehistory of human populations in Central America was largely unexplored.

The Chibchan-related horticulturalists moved northward into the southeastern Yucatan carrying improved varieties of maize, manioc and chili peppers, and mixed with local populations to create new horticultural traditions that ultimately led to more intensive forms.

Prufer said that the migration of these people was important for development of farming and eventually large Maya-speaking communities. Once people had a reliable source of food in maize, they tended to farm and stay in one place, leading to larger, established communities.

Prufer said that maize wasn't always an important part of the diet of these people. The tiny cobs of teosinte were eaten by the earliest migrants even though they were small, along with other plants and game. They began to domesticate the plant, grow larger cobs, and alter the landscape and biodiversity by selecting the biggest and best seeds in South America.

The Europeans used wheat as a diet staple and the consumption of maize grew until it became a staple. When the Spanish arrived around 1500 AD, maize, or corn, was a staple of every Native American group's diet.

More information: Douglas J. Kennett et al, South-to-north migration preceded the advent of intensive farming in the Maya region, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29158-y Journal information: Nature Communications Citation: Ancient migrants carrying maize from south were early Maya ancestors, says study (2022, March 22) retrieved 22 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-ancient-migrants-maize-south-early.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.