From the four Salvadoran islands, Olomega in San Miguel, Teokan at the mouth of the Lempa River (now under the ocean), Teopán in Lago Coatepeque (Tam Makchan), and Teotipa in Lago Güija, the proto-Mesoamerican people began to experiment with cultivating wild edible plants. This experimentation took place on islands since their gardens were much safer from animals as well as from their human enemies, the Xibalban lords, who were afraid of water. The Xibalbans did not wish to be outdone by their rivals.
The first gardens were planted on the four islands after they moved off of Tulan Zuyua, or Isla Tigre, between 8300 BC and 7900 BC. This would signify that the Mayans and other Mesoamerican people have been living continuously in agricultural villages for about 10,000 years, much longer than previously thought.
The most important item in the garden was corn. Corn was developed from repeated plantings of Balsas teosinte. Anthropologists have found corn present in southwest Mexico from about 6700 BC, in the area where Balsas teosinte now grows. However, during the ice age that ended in about 8300 BC the climate was several degrees cooler in Central America than present day. The range of Balsas teosinte likely extended all the way to El Salvador, where it would have flourished in elevations between 500 and 1500 meters, such as in the hills of Chalatenango.
The Popol Vuh appears to give a Mars long count date for the first sprouting of corn as One Artisan (One Manix). Manix literally means ‘work with earth’. Symbolically it would be fitting that the invention of the corn would be celebrated with its one day sign. The Popol Vuh is quite specific that women were responsible for the invention of corn and this daysign is also associated with the Quiche, since it morphs into Mazatl (deer) in Aztec. The deer is the totem of the Quiche. The Mars long count date of One Artisan corresponds to about 7900 BC. So, my hypothesis: Quiche women hybridized corn from Balsas teosinte about 9,900 years ago on Teopán island in Lago Coatepeque, El Salvador. This is consistent with the Lenca memory of the first cultivation of corn.
The proto-Mayans-Mesoamericans may have waited several hundred years while improving upon the hybridization, before sharing corn with anyone else. The map shows [click to enlarge] the locations of Balsas and Guatemalan teosinte grass that were utilized by the Mayans on Teotipa and Teopán islands to continuously hybridize with the nascent corn. (These sources are identified based on the location of 'Teosinte' place names.)
The Mesoamerican people shared the seed corn with people living in or near the Gruta Guerrero, close to the Guerrero-Morelos-Mexico border, before 6700 BC. Corn also reached Panama no later than 5500 BC. By 5000 BC it was sufficiently hot in Central America, so that the range of Balsas teosinte would likely have been limited to its current area in western Mexico. But by that time, corn was already successfully hybridized.
Another crop associated with the 7900 BC One Manix date in the Popol Vuh is cacao. This is consistent with the Lenca who call themselves the people of corn and chocolate. The Popol Vuh makes it clear that they harvesting honey by this time as well.
The Popol Vuh also seems to associate several crops and products with the Mars long-count date Seven Hunahpu (Sutz') or 7500 BC: squash, chili peppers, rubber, and gourds. Squash appears to be associated with the “Blood River” area, which would be present-day coastal La Libertad and La Paz.
While the present day Usulután ocean flats would have been distant from the ocean until about 5500 BC, there might well have been other ocean flats from which to farm salt prior to that.
The Mayan people can trace their lineage to two of the four ‘civilized’ islands, but who else shares in this early cultural history of corn, cacao, honey, and squash?
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