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Grindstones from Eva 2 and St. John, two of the earliest sites in northeastern South America and the southern Caribbean respectively, were subjected to starch grain analysis. Results of this study revealed that these stone artifacts were utilized to process a variety of cultivars such as maize (Zea mays), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), chili pepper (Capsicum spp.), achira (Canna spp.), legumes (Fabaceae), and yams (Dioscoreaceae), coupled with wild resources, most notably marunguey (Zamia spp.). Radiocarbon dates indicate that the use of plants identified at these two sites were much older than previously considered, going back to at least 7790 cal. BP at St. John and 5990 cal. BP at Eva 2. This new evidence showcases the importance of the Caribbean basin as an arena for early phytocultural dispersals. It also focuses attention on the role of navigation as a mechanism for crop diffusion in the Neotropics. The domestication and dispersal of food crops in the Neotropics has gained significant attention in the past three decades as a result of the widespread application of novel methods for the identification of the plants that were consumed in ancient times in the region. Of particular importance has been the analysis of the starch grains that became trapped in the fissures and pores of artifacts. Starch grains constitute a type of microbotanical remain that is highly resistant to the taphonomic conditions of the tropics which tend to significantly diminish many of the other organic evidences of plant use in the area. The plant that has received the most attention in this regard has been maize, which has been documented in a much wider array of settings than previously envisioned. Recent data indicate that the tempo of maize dispersal was rather quick, being perhaps the cultivated plant that spread across the longest distance in the least amount of time in the tropics. All the information that has been generated thus far suggests that once maize was first domesticated in M� |
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