Varieties and current uses of maize in the Northern Calchaqui Valley (Salta, Argentina). The contribution of ethnobotany in the interpretation of plant remains from the pre-Hispanic past

Maize has been a central crop in the Andean area since the early stages of pre-Hispanic development, given its nutritional, symbolic, and social importance. In the Calchaqui Valley northern area, evidence shows that both its production and uses remained constant throughout history, with changes related to the social and historical conditions in the context of its development. Considering this, in this paper we attempt to link the information from the archaeological record with the practices and knowledge of the people who currently inhabit the same places, emphasizing both the aspects related to agro-diversity and its incorporation into the social and cultural system. The research was located in the Calchaqui Valley northern sector, based on an ethnographic methodology of interviews and observations. The results obtained suggest that the diversity of cultivated varieties in pre-Hispanic times was greater than that observed today and that the contemporary record is conditioned by the demand of other actors, such as tourists, which would explain some of the hybrid breeds observed. On the other hand, the range of culinary preparations incorporating maize shows that although there is an important persistence in the meals linked to social memory, there are also important modifications that can be explained by the conditioning factors of the modern world.