Maize from Venezuela

In the northern neotropics, given poor preservation and funding/research biases, our understanding of ancient subsistence strategies is limited. Here, we document the botanical and cultural remains at an early ceramic archaeological site, 'Cueva La Capilla', northeast of the Venezuelan Andes, which contains funerary remains linked to the Tocuyanoid ceramic tradition, as well as maize rachises. The maize rachises, here radiocarbon dated to the terminal Tocuyanoid at 395-460 CE, present diverse morphologies, suggesting the simultaneous use of different maize varieties or domestication stages. This study employs a multidisciplinary approach — including radiocarbon dating, morphometrics and ancient DNA — to reveal new insights into the Tocuyanoid cultural development and resource management. The DNA analysis of a masticated maize stem confirms human action.