Assessment Questions 8.10

1. Describe the geographical scope of Mesoamerica and its significance in the development of agriculture.

Mesoamerica includes modern nations such as Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northwestern Costa Rica. This region played a crucial role in the development of agriculture, contributing valuable crops like maize (corn), beans, and squash, forming the subsistence base for indigenous civilizations.

2. Explain the significance of Guilá Naquitz Cave in Oaxaca, Mexico, in providing evidence for the domestication of plants in Mesoamerica.

Guilá Naquitz Cave in Oaxaca, Mexico, provides the oldest evidence for domestication in the New World. Squash seeds, rind fragments, and stems have been recovered and dated to between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago. The seeds of Guilá Naquitz squash show distinct characteristics from wild squash, indicating early domestication.

3. Discuss the early steps in the domestication of maize in Mesoamerica, including evidence from archaeological sites like San Andrès and San Marcos cave.

Early steps in the domestication of maize in Mesoamerica date back to more than 7,000 years ago. Evidence from the San Andrès site in Mexico's tropical Gulf of Mexico wetlands shows pollen grains of teosinte, the wild ancestor of maize, dating to 7,100 years ago. Samples from San Marcos cave reveal teosinte-maize, an intermediate crop showing incremental changes in the domestication process.