BOTANICAL MUSEUM LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
Campripcr, Massacnusetts, JANUARY 27, 1960 Voi. 19, No. 2 
PREHISTORIC BEAN REMAINS FROM 
CAVES IN THE OCAMPO REGION 
OF TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO 
BY 
L. Kapian! anp R. S. MacNetsH’? 
Durinec the winter of 1954, under the auspices of the 
Botanical Museum of Harvard University, the Ameri- 
can Philosophical Society, the American Academy of 
Arts and Sciences and the National Museum of Canada, 
the junior author undertook an archaeological survey and 
excavations in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The primary pur- 
pose of this investigation was to obtain specimens and 
information pertaining to the origin, development and 
diffusion of prehistoric agriculture in the New World. 
One of the important foods domesticated and dispersed 
prehistorically was beans. This report is concerned with 
the bean remains found in the excavations. 
Tamaulipas is the northeasternmost state of Mexico 
and is situated along the Gulf Coast. The southwestern 
portion of this state was the area surveyed. This region 
shows considerable range in topography and vegetation 
from east to west. The eastern boundary is the wide 
flat meandering Guajalejo River valley which has a trop- 
ical vegetation extending up from the south. West of 
this valley, running north and south, lies the first ridge 
1 Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois. 
? National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Canada. 
[ 33 ] 
