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History
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English (U.S.)
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Archeological Lab Report: The Transition to Agriculture in Mesoamerica

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Your career in archaeology continues, and now your work takes you to Mexico. You know from the work that others have done that agriculture was adopted in most of Mexico at about 1500 BC, but nobody yet knows exactly how that process occurred. From several sites in Mexico you know that certain plants were being domesticated and cultivated long before agriculture as a way of life was adopted: ancient hunter gatherers cultivated several plant species as a supplement to their diet of collected wild plants and animals and for a variety of other purposes, such as gourds for containers, etc. Agriculture is a way of life in which cultivated foods provide the majority if not the totality of the diet. You also know that unlike other parts of the world, such as the Levant (Middle East), villages only appear after agriculture is adopted as a way of life. What you don’t know is where, when, and how agriculture was first adopted. You can assume that once agriculture was invented in a particular region, it gradually spread from its point of origin to other regions in Mesoamerica. To answer the question of how the transition to agriculture took place in Mexico, you team up with archaeologists working in other parts of Mexico to see if together you can answer this important question.

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Archeological Lab Report: The Transition to Agriculture in Mesoamerica
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Due Date Archeological Lab Report: The Transition to Agriculture in Mesoamerica

The transition to agriculture is among the most critical watershed moments in the history of humanity. Agriculture allowed ancient communities to transition from hunting and gathering to domestication of plants. As a result, they could plan for food security which allowed them time to explore other aspects of life. Maize remains one of the essential crops today and across history. In Mesoamerica, unlike other parts of the world like the Levant, villages emerged after agriculture became a way of life. The current paper relies on reported archeological evidence informing the development of Maize domestication in Mesoamerica. Thus, it relies on this data to test the existing theories while at the same time explaining when and how Maize became a crucial agricultural commodity in the regions.

Earliest Occurrence of Agriculture as a Way of Life

Based on data, there are two types of Maize: early and late Maize. The former refers to the small cob variety, while the latter is the large one. Further, it is essential to note that teosinte was the parent species of Maize and its natural habitat is in Rio Bongo (ANTH-103, 2022). Thus, it would be expected that Maize agriculture might have begun here. Early Maize first appeared in Cueva Tucan and Bini Chuj in 3000 – 2000 BC. In Cueva Tucan, early Maize made up 25% of diet contribution, while in Bini Chuj, it started at 5% and increased to 20% in 2000 – 1000 BC. Early Maize then appeared in other areas like Las Conchas, Los dos Plebes, and Cueva Profunda in 2000 – 1000 BC. Within this period (1500 BC), agriculture became prevalent in Mexico. Thus, it suggests that the domestication of Maize might have begun in the h...

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