Bonavia D. Maize: Origin, Domestication, and Its Role in the Development of Culture

Cambridge University Press, 2013. — 586 p.
First published in Spanish as "El Maíz. Su origen, su domesticación y el rol que ha cumplido en el desarrollo de la Cultura" by Universidad de San Martín de Porres, 2008.
ISBN 978-1-107-02303-1.This book examines one of the thorniest problems of ancient American archaeology: the origins and domestication of maize. Using a variety of scientific techniques, Duccio Bonavia explores the development of maize, its adaptation to varying climates, and its fundamental role in ancient American cultures. An appendix (by Alexander Grobman) provides the first-ever comprehensive compilation of maize genetic data, correlating these data with the archaeological evidence presented throughout the book. This book provides a unique interpretation of questions of dating and evolution, supported by extensive data, following the spread of maize from South to North America, and eventually to Europe and beyond.Contents:
The Maize Problematic.
The Geographical Distribution of Maize.
Description of the Plant.
Origin of the Name.
Taxonomy.
Maize as Seen by Europeans.
The First News.
Early Data on Maize in South America.
A History of the Name.
The Origin of Maize.
Wild Maize.
Teosinte.
Tripsacum.
The Hypotheses Regarding the Origins of Maize: Proposals and Counterproposals.
Less Important Hypotheses.
Tripsacum as a Hybrid of Maize and Manisuris.
A Comprehensive Overview.
The Fossil Pollen from Bellas Artes (Mexico).
The Domestication of Maize.
The Hypothesis of Domestication in Mesoamerica Alone.
The Hypothesis of Independent Domestication in the Mesoamerican and Andean Areas.
Causes That Led to Domestication.
Causes That Led to the Disappearance of Wild Maize.
Factors That Brought about the Major Evolutive Changes in Maize.
The Diffusion of Maize to South America.
Genetic Information.
Chromosome Knobs.
Pollen.
Phytoliths.
The Archaeological Evidence.
Canada.
United States.
Mexico.
Guatemala.
Belize.
Honduras.
El Salvador.
Costa Rica.
Panama.
Dominican Republic.
Puerto Rico.
Venezuela.
Colombia.
Ecuador.
Peru.
Chile.
Brazil.
Uruguay.
Argentina.
The Role of Maize in Andean Culture.
Maize as Seen by the First Europeans.
The Dispersal of Maize around the World.
Chicha.
Discussion and Conclusions.
Appendix. Origin, Domestication, and Evolution of Maize: New Perspectives from Cytogenetic, Genetic, and Biomolecular Research Complementing Archaeological Findings (Alexander Grobman).Maize Origin, Domestication, and Evolution.
Theories on the Descent of Maize and Its Relatives: I.
Maize Domestication and the tb1 Gene.
Theories on the Descent of Maize and Its Relatives: II.
Origin and Preservation of Maize Genes.
Allelic Diversity in Maize Gene Sequences.
The Early Phases of Maize Domestication.
Reduction of the Variability of Maize after Domestication.
Anthocyanin Synthesis and Its Relation to Maize Evolution.
The Evolution of Inflorescence Development in Maize and Teosinte.
The Directional Evolution of Microsatellite Size in Maize.
Evidence of Teosinte Introgression.
Biochemical Techniques Used in the Taxonomy of the Maydeae.
Gene Evolution and Species Evolution.
Plant Molecular Genetics and the Need for Additional Research.
Estimation of Gene Number in Maize.
B Chromosomes and the Evolution of Maize.
miRNA in Maize.
The Structure of the Maize Plant.
Key Genes Involved and Their Variation in the Process of Maize Domestication.
Supergenes.
Domestication Genes.
Protracted Age of Plant Domestication.
The Origin of Genome Diversity in Maize.
Gene Duplication.
The Role of Gene Flow in Plant Speciation.
The Effect of Cytoplasm on the Evolution of Zea.
Maize Chromosome Divergence.
The Evolution of the Maize Nuclear Genome.
Genomic Imprinting.
Recent Research on the Races of Maize.
Transposons or Transposable Elements.
Paramutation.
Heterochromatin.
Chromosome Knobs.
The Time of Arrival of Maize in South America.
Final Thoughts.
Concluding Statement.