Wheat of the Americas? Evaluating the socio-political and economic significance of maize (Zea mays) in South America: a perspective from organic residue analysis of pottery from southern and northern Chile

The “wheat of the Americas” is how some of the first Europeans arriving in the so-called “New World” referred to maize (Zea mays), a local Poaceae that was extensively cultivated and used in different culinary practices. Its identification in the archaeological record has supported many publications and studies, leading to a major focus on its culinary, economic and ideological importance for pre-colonial groups and the assumption of maize as the most outstanding cultivated crop in the Americas. Most assumptions have been extrapolated from historical records, while the analysis of stable isotopes on human remains and the archaeobotanical record has allowed researchers to infer its significance in diet. However, little has been done from the perspective of the culinary practices and foodways of pre-colonial groups. Pottery has largely been employed in the cuisine or foodways involving maize. Archaeobotanical remains have been found as well-preserved charred residues attached to pottery containers, indicating the direct use of ceramic vessels in maize processing since precolonial times; however, this evidence is limited to several cases and found in specific occations. Organic residue analysis allows to directly assess the molecular and carbon stable isotope composition of lipids trapped inside the porous matrix of ceramic vessels. Here I will present the use of organic residue analysis on ceramic containers from two different contexts from Chile: 1) southern Chile, an area where the socio-political and economic implications of maize’s late arrival have tenuously been assessed before; 2) northern Chile, an area where maize was a staple and a major crop used in alcoholic beverage production during the Inka state occupation. The results of this work indicate that maize's economic and political significance is more complicated than assumed, and that more focus should be taken into the significance of the large diversity of resources found in western South America.