Maize in ancient Ecuador: results of residue analysis of stone tools from the Real Alto site

The antiquity of maize (Zea mays, Poaceae) in Ecuador, and its role in Formative Period subsistence, are topics of current debate. Real Alto, a large Early Formative village at which maize was first identified by phytolith analysis, remains at the center of this debate. We present new microfossil data, maize cob phytoliths and starch granules recovered from 17 stone tools from a Valdivia 3 phase (2800-2400 BC, calibrated) domestic structure, which confirm that maize was present at Real Alto. Further, the common occurrence of maize on tools from this household corroborates the domestic context of maize use at the site. Residue assemblages suggest that maize with hard (flint) and soft (flour) endosperm characteristics existed at the site. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.