Celebrating the Diversity of Maize

Discover the many varieties and uses of corn in Latin America.

Maize Under the Microscope

There are hundreds of varieties of corn. Also known as maize, ixi’im (Maya), centli (Náhuatl), or sara (Quechua), corn was domesticated from a grass called teosinte by Indigenous people in Mexico thousands of years ago.

Cooking with Maize

Pib is a Maya dish from the Yucatan in which a large bowl of masa (dough) is filled with a thick paste called k’ol, as well as chicken, onions, and epazote leaves.

Chicha de jora is an alcoholic fermented corn beer from the Andes, made from various types of sprouted corn.

Pupusas from El Salvador are made from masa, and typically stuffed with cheese, pork, refried beans, or loroco flower buds.

Peruvian cancha is toasted corn, such as the orange/yellow ch’ullpi, which grows in the Andes above 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) in elevation.

Compare these diverse varieties of corn, each bred for a specific use or appearance.

In Oaxaca, Mexico, Indigenous people domesticated maize thousands of years ago. Today they still grow more than 30 varieties. To protect this Indigenous intellectual property, exports of native maize from Mexico are tightly regulated.

More to Explore

Mother and daughter on bench touching plant and laughing

Plant Tunes

Connect with a plant to make music.

Visitor examining plants under a microscope

Story Slides

Use a microscope to explore plant materials and discover the stories they tell.

Scent Memories

Plant scents can evoke powerful memories.

Visitors using touch-screen table exhibit about plants

What Grows Where?

Get to know California's crops and plant communities through interactive satellite data.

The Fabulous Singing Stomata

See and hear microscopic leaf pores sing about what they do.

Funded by a generous grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, with additional support from the Troy and Leslie Daniels Fund for Life Sciences.