Corn

Zea mays

Creole Corn

Orange creole corn resembles the coat of the maned wolf, native to the Brazilian savanna. This variety was acquired from the farm Recanto do São Francisco, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The cultivars of this farm were passed on from hand to hand, from indigenous communities to the farmer and researcher Ernst Götsch, until they were consolidated as varieties with characteristics typical of the south of Minas Gerais. In Syntropic Agriculture, under the guidance of Götsch, creole corn is used in experiments aimed at improving food production, and at the same time recovering degraded soils and reforesting desertified lands.

Zea mays [Cusco]

Cusco Giant Corn

This corn is of Peruvian origin, more specifically from the Cusco region. As one of the species most exported by Peru, it is an ambassador for the diversity of landraces in this Andean country. Considering that “the first task of the Incas upon conquering new territories was always to build irrigation works for the specific purpose of planting maize”, and that Cusco was the capital of the Empire, one could say that this corn is a central pillar of this ancient civilization. Today, Cusco is a protected world heritage site, as “one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere”. As the Cusco Giant Corn has been adapted to the Brazilian climate, some specimens of these seeds were donated to the Mário Lago Settlement (of the Landless Workers Movement). Today, there are at least 200 varieties of corn, which are the result of genetic selection initiated ten thousand years ago in Mexico, and developed by Amerindian peoples since then. Six and a half millennia ago, the southwest region of the Amazon was central to this genetic development. By accompanying the migratory flows of Amerindian peoples, corn gained new characteristics, shapes and colors. From the 1980s, native maize cultivars began to suffer great threat due to the proliferation of genetically modified seeds. These seeds, patented by the agro-industrial complex, have a strong commercial appeal and are planted in monocultures that are highly dependent on pesticides. At the end of a monocultural cycle, what remains is a degraded and impoverished soil, and a desertified area.

Zea mays [Huilcaparu]

Huilcaparu corn

The Huilcaparu corn is ancestral and originates from the region we now call Bolivia, in particular the Cochabamba Valley. Its value for the ancient civilizations of the Americas is clear, “The first task of the Incas upon conquering new territories was always to build irrigation works for the specific purpose of planting maize.” (National Academy of Sciences - USA - 1960) This species of corn was appropriated in the 1960s by US American universities for research into genetic mutations induced by radiation. Paramutation, as an epigenetic concept of inducing DNA changes (in plants, and later in mice), was first observed in corn, with its ability to affect the color of kernels. Today, there are at least 200 varieties of corn, which are the result of genetic selection initiated ten thousand years ago in Mexico, and developed by Amerindian peoples since then. Six and a half millennia ago, the southwest region of the Amazon was central to this genetic development. By accompanying the migratory flows of Amerindian peoples, corn gained new characteristics, shapes and colors. From the 1980s, native maize cultivars began to suffer great threat due to the proliferation of genetically modified seeds. These seeds, patented by the agro-industrial complex, have a strong commercial appeal and are planted in monocultures that are highly dependent on pesticides. At the end of a monocultural cycle, what remains is a degraded and impoverished soil, and a desertified area.

Zea mays [Checche]

Cheqche corn

Cheqche corn is an ancestral Andean species that the Seeds and Tales project managed to introduce into an agroforestry system in the mountainous region of the State of Rio de Janeiro, through a farmer named Léo Novaes. To this day, after millennia of domesticated cultivation, this corn is still used as currency. The larger the grain, the more valuable it is. In the sacred valleys of the Incas, this type of exchange is called chalasq’a, or chalakuy, and cereal production is a significant occupation, especially for indigenous women of the Andes. Unfortunately, this ancient cultural practice of exchange, nowadays, can be contaminated by the modern economy, and practiced abusively. Power dynamics that marginalize indigenous peoples can interfere with the possibility of negotiation for traditional producers of these cereals.

Zea mays [Checche Colca]

Cheqche Colca corn

The Cheqche corn variety originates from the Peruvian Andes and was donated to an agroecological project in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. This variety was successfully reproduced by farmer Léo Novaes, who became the guardian of this genetic line of Zea mays. The Colca Valley, in Peru, where this corn is ancestrally cultivated, is inhabited by descendants of the indigenous Collagua people, who preserve native species and ancient agricultural methods. The Aymara, the indigenous ethnic and linguistic family the Collagua are a part of, have inhabited this land before the Incas, and have endured with the power of adaptability to the transformation of eras.

Zea mays [Cancha Serrana]

Cancha Serrana corn

This corn originates from the Peruvian Andes and is cultivated in Brazil. This variety was acquired from a seed guardian called Thiago, and given to the farmer Léo Novaes to be reproduced in an ecological agriculture project in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. The hundreds of varieties of corn that we have today are the result of genetic selection initiated by Amerindian people ten thousand years ago in Mexico. Six and a half millennia ago, the southwestern Amazon region was central to this genetic development. By following the migratory flows of Amerindian peoples, corn gained new characteristics, shapes and colors. In the Peruvian Andes, ancient evidence has been found that seeds follow human migration. The Incas, as pioneers of plant domestication and agriculture, developed unique methods of growing corn in harsh valley and high-altitude contexts. Thus, in their sacred valleys, resilient and beautiful varieties of corn began to develop.

Zea mays [Adriana Amarelo]

Yellow Creole Corn [Adriana Amarelo]

This corn variety was cultivated by the farm Recanto do São Francisco in Minas Gerais, Brazil, honoring the seed guardian Adriana who brought this Creole genetic variety to the region. A creole seed variety is native, free from commercial genetic manipulations, and unknown to modern agro-industrial technologies. Nowadays, that seeds have become patented commodities by companies which single-handedly develop new DNA sequences of crops, creole seeds and their protectors are the vanguard of a movement which ensures the survival of the world's flora, its origins and magnificent diversity. These seeds, patented by the agro-industrial complex, have a strong commercial appeal and are planted in monocultures that are highly dependent on pesticides. At the end of a monocultural cycle, what remains is a degraded and impoverished soil, and since the 1980s, creole maize is an example of a cultivar that suffers under this threat.

Zea mays [Adriana Roxo]

Purple Creole corn [Adriana Roxo]

This purple variety of creole corn was named Adriana as a way of honoring the seed guardian who brought it to her property and reproduced it. It was acquired from the farm Recanto do São Francisco. The cultivars of this farm were passed on from hand to hand, from indigenous communities to the farmer and researcher Ernst Götsch, until they consolidated as varieties with characteristics typical of the south of Minas Gerais. In Syntropic Agriculture, under the guidance of Götsch, creole corn is used in experiments aimed at improving food production, and at the same time recovering degraded soils and reforesting desertified lands.

Zea mays [Bicudo]

Bicudo Creole corn

Though adapted to the Midwestern Brazilian climate, this corn originates from the Peruvian Andes, where ancient evidence has been found of seeds following human migration. Today, there are at least 200 varieties of corn, which are the result of genetic selection initiated ten thousand years ago in Mexico, and developed by Amerindian peoples since then. Six and a half millennia ago, the southwest region of the Amazon was central to this genetic development. By accompanying the migratory flows of Amerindian peoples, corn gained new characteristics, shapes and colors. Given the relevance of this plant as one of the main foods in these populations’ diet, it is common for shared rites and myths to exist, celebrating its importance and diversity. The Ticuna people, for example, describe corn as bait for US Americans in the myths of the adventures of the brothers Yoi and Ipi. It is interesting to note that today, the United States really is the largest consumer of corn in the world. From the 1980s, native maize cultivars began to suffer great threat due to the proliferation of genetically modified seeds. These seeds, patented by the agro-industrial complex, have a strong commercial appeal and are planted in monocultures that are highly dependent on pesticides. At the end of a monocultural cycle, what remains is a degraded and impoverished soil, and a desertified area.

Zea mays [Indurata]

Purple Corn

Peruvian purple corn is the main ingredient of the typical Peruvian drink chicha morada. This drink has been described as having the potential to prevent colon cancer, and has been used in spiritual ceremonies by ancient peoples of the Peruvian region. Today, there are at least 200 varieties of corn, which are the result of genetic selection initiated ten thousand years ago in Mexico, and developed by Amerindian peoples since then. Six and a half millennia ago, the southwest region of the Amazon was central to this genetic development. By accompanying the migratory flows of Amerindian peoples, corn gained new characteristics, shapes and colors. Alongside squash and beans, corn is one of the three Mesoamerican crops called the “Three Sisters”, and they are fundamental to ancient Native American agricultural techniques. Together, they complement each other not only in growth and development, but also in nutritional value. Given the relevance of this plant as one of the main foods in these populations’ diet, it is common for shared rites and myths to exist, celebrating its importance and diversity. The Ticuna people, for example, describe corn as bait for Americans in the myths of the adventures of the brothers Yoi and Ipi. It is interesting to note that today, the United States really is the largest consumer of corn in the world. From the 1980s, native maize cultivars began to suffer great threat due to the proliferation of genetically modified seeds. These seeds, patented by the agribusiness complex, have a strong commercial appeal and are planted in monocultures that are highly dependent on pesticides. At the end of a monocultural cycle, what remains is a degraded and impoverished soil, and a desertified area.