ear and are easily picked off and eaten. The glumes are 
slightly charred during this process. 
If maize kernels do not have the proper moisture con- 
tent, they parch rather than pop when exposed to heat. 
Parched maize, although not as tender as popped maize, 
is much easier to chew or grind than unprocessed maize, 
especially of the pop corn or flint type. There is little 
doubt that at least some of the La Perra maize was con- 
sumed in parched form. 
Grinding: On many of the cobs from La Perra Cave, 
the glumes are battered and broken as though the ears 
might have been forced across a rough surface or beaten 
with a stick. This would indicate a crude shelling oper- 
ation and this, in turn, suggests the use of shelled grain. 
Since stone mortars were found in La Perra Cave, it 
seems quite likely that, in addition to the uses described 
above, maize was also ground. But what use might have 
been made of it after grinding, there is no way of deter- 
mining. There is no evidence of baking and no remains 
of any kind of bread. Whether the maize growers of La 
Perra Cave had learned to make the tortilla, the ubiqui- 
tous maize bread of modern Mexico, must remain an un- 
answered question. 
SUMMARY 
1. This paper describes archaeological specimens of maize 
obtained from a sequence of cultural remains in La 
Perra Cave in Tamaulipas, Mexico. 
2. The earliest maize is dated on the basis of radio car- 
bon determinations of associated vegetal remains at 
4445 +180 years old. The most recent maize is esti- 
mated to be 1800-2200 years old. 
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