The roots of corn run deep in Oaxaca. One of the first known cobs of corn was found in a cave less than an hour east of the city. Some say this is the first known cultivation of corn but my research would lead me to conclude that there may have been at least one other hybridization, which has given us what we now know as zea mays, happening concurrently in the American Southwest. Still I always like to pay homage and take a deep internal bow to that little cave when we drive past on our way to Mitla.
Indeed corn runs deep in all of Mexico as evidenced by the saying, "sin maiz, no hay paiz" (without corn we have no country). You find it used for everything from food and drink to weaving (as a starch to stiffen string) to children's toys (think corn husk dolls), to used as tools for pottery and, my personal favorite, a cork to hold whatever brew your gourd drinking container might hold. And please remember, that the sweet corn you might eat on fourth of July in the States is completely different from most of what you find in Mexico where the harder and starchier corns reign supreme and are used for tortillas, tamale masa, atole drinks and a host of local food variations. Also the elote, found on menus of many American hipster restaurants, is NOT what you'll get in Mexico. Elote refers to the time of the year when the dent/meal corn is still very soft and milky. There's a zillion ways to use it from tea, to meal, to ice cream and more. It's considered a special delicacy by those in the know.
Corn is the most harvested grain in the world and definitely one of the greatest gifts Mexico has given us. As you can imagine, the anti GMO movement is alive and well in Oaxaca. My postcard image above came from a whole Anti GMO series produced by Franciso Toledo. In Mexico, being anti GMO is considered patriotic.
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