Origins of Farming in Mesoamerica

What plants and animals were domesticated in each of these regions of the New World: eastern North America, Mesoamerica, and the Andes?

Eastern North America: Goosefoot, sunflower, gourds, beans, corn
Mesoamerica: Beans, corn, gourds, turkey, chilies, avocado
Andean South America:
Crops: Potatoes, oca, yuca, camote, quinoa, choclo, lucuma, CACAO
Animals: Llama, guinea pigs, alpaca

What were the main results of MacNeish's Tehuacan Valley project?

• 1960s to understand origins of agriculture

• surveyed 450 sites, excavated 12 sites

• gourds: 8,000-6,000 BC

• beans and squash: 5,000 BC

• corn: 4,200 BC

• villages/settlements: 2,000 BC

• showed transition from farming took thousands of years

How did Kent Flannery test theories of the origins of agriculture? (4 parts)

Oaxacan Valley Human Ecology Project

1. excavation of rock shelters and open sites

2. resource abundance survey

3. nutrional analysis of wild grains

4. computer simulation of hunter and gatherers

What types of sites were Gheo-Shih, Cueva Blanca, and Guila Naquitiz?

Gheo-Shih: warm season, macroband camps, possibly used for rituals

Cueva-Blanca: hunting camp

Guila-Naquitz: dry season, microband camps, 6 sites, cultivation of beans gourds corn (8,700-4,200 BC)

What were the results of Flannery's project?

adaptation of agriculture took a while: adaptation to holocene climate —> changes to environment —> domestication —> sedentary agriculture

According to Flannery, why did foragers domesticate crops in Mesoamerica?

it was easier as it cut down search time and was more predictable

The selection of genetic traits of annual plants by hunter-gathers in Mexico started a feedback cycle. Where did this feedback lead?  Why?

selection of genetic traits —> provided higher yields —> increase in population (loop) —> lead to full time farming

How did the transition to agriculture differ in Mesoamerica & the Middle East?

Mesoamerica: More gradual, took thousands of years

Middle East: Faster transition and larger-scale farming