The Archaeobotanist J. Julian Garay-Vazquez is currently working on identifying charred plant remains from Limoncillos at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, cede Bogota. Recently, the presence of maize within the assemblage was identified, adding a new record for this crop within the Colombian Amazon. Maize charring experiments are being performed alongside our collaborator Gaspar Morcote-Rios to understand how people used maize in the past within la Lindosa.
Charred maize kernel alongside maize that is not charred (please see image above). Part of the charring experiments is to understand the morphological characteristics of the maize found in Cerro Azul and Limoncillos archaeobotanical assemblage.
Charring experiment. The image shows the small crucibles filled with sand and seeds inside a muffle furnace. The muffle furnace allows for better temperature control, and the seeds are charred completely to aid in the macro botanical identification process.