BOTANICAL MUSEUM LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
CamBripGr, Massacuusetts, Juty 12, 1954 VoL. 16, No. 
FOSSIL MAIZE FROM THE VALLEY 
OF MEXICO 
BY 
Exso S. BarGHoorn’, MArGARET K. WoLre’ 
AND Katuryn H. Cuissy® 
WirHIn the past decade studies on the origin, antiquity 
and evolution of maize have received new stimulus from 
archaeological and palynological discoveries in the south- 
western United States and Mexico (Deevey, 1944; 
Mangelsdorf and Smith, 1949). It now appears well es- 
tablished that a maize culture developed and flourished 
in the presently semi-arid basins of New Mexico during 
a period ranging from approximately 8600 B.C., or ear- 
lier (Libby, 1951), to approximately 1000 A.D. The 
morphologically primitive structure of this prehistoric 
corn, in contrast to its surprisingly recent geologic age, 
is strong presumptive evidence, though not necessarily 
proof, that maize originated in the New World and was 
here developed from its wild state by aboriginal migrants 
into the American subtropics. 
Recently, additional paleontological evidence has been 
obtained from the Valley of Mexico which indicates a 
far greater antiquity for the existence of maize in the 
New World than has yet been revealed by archaeologi- 
' Department of Biology, Harvard University. 
” Radcliffe College. 
® Department of Geology and Geography, Oberlin College. 
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