the cereals. hese are as follows: 1) the seed is a highly 
nutritive caryopsis, 2) the production of seed is highly 
efficient, 3) the seed can be handled and stored with 
ease, 4) the maize plant lends itself to the use of simple 
methods of cultivation, and 5) the plant has a wide toler- 
ance to many and varied ecological conditions. 
The nature of the seed favored its storage. However, 
the storage of the maize crop required special attention 
due to the following reasons: 1) several pests and dis- 
eases attack the grain, 2) a surplus stock would prevent 
the calamities of a poor crop, and 8) climatic variations 
often resulted in considerable decreases in yield. 
No doubt the chief interest of the people was the pro- 
duction of an essential minimum amount of grain each 
year. This is suggested by the complex religious pattern 
centered around the maize theme, the interest in astron- 
omy and its relation to the cultivation of maize, and the 
use of mixed seed of maize lines adapted to various cli- 
matic conditions. Once the crop had been obtained, it 
was necessary to protect it until the following harvest 
since this was periodical. In addition, the demands of a 
non-agricultural population, and the use of marginal and 
sub-marginal lands for agriculture due to population pres- 
sure, all stimulated the development of some method of 
storage. 
Thus it is seen that the problem of storage was con- 
comitant with the cultivation of maize. The method of 
storage could vary, but under any condition it necessi- 
tated the development of a special cultural pattern. The 
term maize granary is here used to designate the material 
element designed for the solution of this problem. 
III. ArcHAEOLOGICAL PERIOD 
(circa 500-1100 A.D.) 
Anthropological studies show that the Mexican Indian 
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