Maize (Mesoamerican Crop)

Timeline

1. c. -9000–-3500Tehuacán Valley · MexicoEarly Mesoamericans selectively bred wild teosinte over long periods, gradually enlarging the kernels and fixing single-stalk fruiting to create cultivated maize plantable on a large scale.
2. -1500–900Maya lowlands and Mexican highlands · MexicoMaize became the core crop of the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, and other civilizations, forming a milpa intercropping system with beans and squash that supported the population growth of city-states.
3. 1325–1521Valley of Mexico · Mexico CityThe Aztec Empire intensified maize production through chinampa raised fields, tribute grain levies, and water management; by the mid-15th century (including 1441–1450), maize was the absolute mainstay of imperial finance and rations.
4. 1500Temperate and tropical agricultural zones worldwide · GlobalMaize spread to Eurasia, Africa, and the rest of the world through colonial trade, and through varietal improvement became one of the world's largest grain crops by output.