"This volume is an amazing summary of our current knowledge of the Americas' greatest contribution to world cuisine. Moving from maize's origin and spread through its transformation as an evolutionary and cultural partner with humanity, Michael Blake masterfully tackles a dizzying array of research from many disciplines to produce the definitive book about maize." --Paul E. Minnis, Professor of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, and author of New Lives for Ancient and Extinct Crops "As one of the foremost experts in the field, Michael Blake provides an insightful, well-written account of the archaeology, origins, and domestication of corn. He shares how recent techniques in ethnobotany, molecular biology, and direct dating have transformed our perceptions of its economic importance and biogeography, and his discussion of its pre-Columbian symbolic significance reveals why corn is so important today." --John Staller, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, and coeditor of Histories of Maize "Michael Blake is to be congratulated in showing how what must be one of the most farfetched human experiments in plant domestication-that of maize-was propelled by the mind-altering fermented beverage chicha, made first from the sugary juice of the cornstalk and later from the carbohydrate-rich kernels." --Patrick McGovern, author of Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages.