image: Maize varieties conserved by indigenous Guarani Kaiowá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. This indigenous group believe that the Guarani Kaiowá were born from the "Saboró Branco" maize variety Avati Moroti. This variety is considered sacred and it is used in the "Baptism of the maize" ritual, which enshrines the fertility and protection of the crop. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the 14 Dec. issue of Science, published by AAAS. The paper, by L. Kistler at Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and colleagues was titled, "Multiproxy evidence highlights a complex evolutionary legacy of maize in South America." view more
Credit: [Credit: Flaviane Malaquias Costa]