Corn probably began its journey in Mexico or Central America and was nurtured by native peoples for generations. Sometime between 4500 and 1000 BC, corn reached what is present day New Mexico, feeding the Pueblo Indians who lived along the Rio Grande. By around 1000 AD corn had reached the northeastern part of the continent. Corn fueled the Aztec Empire of central Mexico as well as the Mayans in the southeast and the Inca along the length of western South America.
The Indians carried corn to the Caribbean. On today’s island
of
Cuba, Columbus first encountered corn grown by the Arawaks. The Spanish
took corn back to the Mediterranean in 1493 and it spread into both
Europe
and the Middle East. The Portuguese carried it to Africa where corn
began
to replace millet, the traditional grain. The Chinese had corn by the
1550’s,
and today are second only to the U.S. in corn production. India and
Indonesia
are also top corn growers in Asia.
 1909 "exaggerated" postcard USA |
 Contemporary German beer stein |
Sand painting detail showing corn as one of the four sacred plants of
the Navajo nation, USA.
Corn doll kachina, Hopi tribe, Arizona, USA
Ceramic tile showing hand harvest of corn.
Made at Henry Mercer Moravian Tile Works, Doylestown, PA, USA (early
20th ct.)
Corn husker hand tool, wood and leather. Central USA, mid 20th ct.
Modern corn combine harvester, USA, late 20th century.
Brass corn door knocker, USA, mid 20th ct.
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