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Aztec corn god. 



By NORTON NICKERSON 

 Department of Botany 



ZEA MAYS, maize, Indian corn, 

 or just plain corn — whatever 

 the name — corn is the most impor- 

 tant crop in America today, valued 

 at one and a half billion dollars. 



Gift of the Great Spirit 



In spite of our great dependence 

 upon corn plants, we know surpris- 

 ingly little of their history. Long 

 before Columbus touched our shores, 

 this grass was the staple food crop 

 of Indian tribes from Canada to Cape 

 Horn. It was not merely their food 

 supply; it was a prominent part of 

 village life as well, becoming inti- 

 mately related to religious cere- 

 monials and priestcraft. 



Maize was looked upon almost uni- 

 versally as a gift, either directly from 

 the Great Spirit or indirectly from 

 some neighboring area. 



Not a Wild Plant 



'"Wild"' maize does not exist in 

 the world. Not one tribe has the 

 tradition of its maize ever being a 

 native or "wild" plant. Its origin 

 becomes even more of a mystery 

 when we realize that maize is com- 

 pletely dependent upon man for its 

 cultivation. 



Somehow, somewhere, an unknown 

 Indian or tribe of Indians rescued 

 what must have been a wild maizelike 

 grass from what was probably its last 

 stages before complete extinction. 

 And, from this modest beginning, a 

 seemingly endless variety of forms 

 has developed, all equally capable 

 of being interbred. 



Archeological Wonder 



Just how this near-miracle came 

 about is a mystery that is currently 



Dr. Norton Nickerson points to a re- 

 construction of a probable maize an- 

 cestor. The two corn cobs, to the left, 

 found in Lower California, date back 

 to 1200 A.D. The charred corn frag- 

 ments above, from Cherokee County, 

 Texas, dote back to 400 A.D. The 

 tassel in the background, known as 

 club, was grown from seeds exposed to 

 irradiation in the Bikini atomic tests. 



