Bolivia maize varieties facts for kids

The varieties of Bolivian maize are special kinds of corn grown in Bolivia. These different types of corn have been carefully chosen and grown by people for thousands of years. They picked the best plants for farming and cooking.

Bolivia has many different climates and types of soil. This is because the country stretches across various regions, from high mountains to low tropical areas. The native people of Bolivia, like the Aymara in the north, the Sauces in the center, and the Yampara in the south, were very important in creating these different corn types. For example, the Aymara people learned to grow corn on the high plains near Lake Titicaca, which is about 3,500 to 3,800 meters above sea level. This area is cold, dry, and windy, making it a tough place for plants to grow!

Traditionally, corn is grown in these main areas of Bolivia:

• Low tropical areas (200-900 masl)
• Subtropical areas (1,000–1,600 masl)
• Sub-Andean Chaco region (200–1,500 masl)
• Slopes and valleys within the Andes mountains (1,700–3,000 masl), reaching up to Lake Titicaca (3,800 masl)

Most corn grown below 1,000 masl is from big farms and is used to feed animals like cows and pigs.

Corn as Food in Bolivia

Corn is a very important food in traditional Bolivian cooking. It's used to make many popular dishes, such as:

• Api – a warm drink often enjoyed for breakfast.
• Chaque & Lagua – types of soup.
• Chicha – an alcoholic drink.
• Choclo – corn kernels boiled right on the cob, still in their leaves.
• Confituras – cooked popcorn kernels covered with honey.
• Huminta – mashed, soft corn kernels, seasoned and cooked inside the corn leaves.
• Mote – dry corn kernels that have been cooked.
• Tostado or Palomitas de maíz – which is popcorn.

History of Bolivian Corn

Corn first arrived in Bolivia from the mountains of Peru around 3,000 BCE (about 5,000 years ago). At first, it was just a small part of what Andean people ate. The earliest corn had small kernels that popped easily, and the kernels were arranged in four rows on the cob. Over time, this changed to eight rows.

Before the Incan rule in Bolivia, people started choosing corn with eight rows. They began to select for different qualities, like the type of kernel (how soft or hard it was), its shape, and its color. They also worked to make the corn cobs bigger, with more kernels per cob, and larger kernels overall.

Later, people learned that certain colors of corn were linked to different types of kernels:

• Yellow corn often had semi-flint kernels (a bit hard).
• White corn usually had floury kernels (soft and starchy).
• Corn with mixed colors often had soft-textured kernels.

Some corn varieties, like "Morocho" and "Perla," even crossed the Andes mountains. They adapted to the lower altitudes and different climates of Paraguay, Argentina, and the lowlands of Brazil. This happened before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s.

Modern Corn Classification

Since the mid-1970s, a research center in Cochabamba called Centro Fitotécnico y Ecogenético de Pairumani has collected and studied over 1,500 different corn samples from Bolivia. They looked at where the corn grew, its physical features, and even its tiny parts like chromosomes.

This research helped them group the corn into 7 main types, called "racial complexes," with 45 smaller groups (races) and hundreds of even more specific types. All these corn samples are now stored safely at the Pairumani germplasm bank.

Based on these studies, a scientist named Aureliano Brandolini and his team identified these main groups of native Bolivian corn:

• A. Pisanckalla (Popcorn)

This type has very small, hard kernels that pop easily. It can grow almost anywhere and its growing cycle doesn't change much even in cooler places. * Examples: Pasanckalla, Periquito, Pura, Purito.

• B. Valle alto (High valley)

These corn plants are short and often have a reddish color. Their ears grow very low on the plant. They are grown in high valleys, like the Lake Titicaca plateau, between 3,000 and 3,700 masl. * Examples: Huaca songo, Jampe tongo, Paru.

• C. Harinoso del valle (Floury from the valley)

These plants are medium to tall and usually have red stalks. The kernels can be very different in size, shape (often large), and color. They are grown in temperate valleys, from 1,500 to 3,000 masl. * Examples: Achuchema, Aisuma, Amarillo harinoso de 8 hileras, Blanco yungueño, Checchi o gris de tostar, Chuspillo, Concebideño, Colorado, Hualtaco, Huillcaparu, Kajbia, Kellu hillcaparu, Kulli, Oke.

• D. Morocho (Dark)

This corn has kernels that are semi-flint (a bit hard) or semi-dent (with a small dent). They are usually yellow or orange, with a thin, hard outer layer and a soft, floury inside. They grow in temperate valleys and subtropical areas, from 1,000 to 3,000 masl. * Examples: Karapampa, Kellu o amarillo 8 surcos, Morochillo de Tarija, Morocho chaqueño, Morocho chico, Morocho grande, Morocho 8 hileras.

• E. Amazónico (Amazonian)

These are tall plants with a long growing cycle. They usually have broad ears (except for the Enano type) and soft or semi-flint kernels that are large. They are grown in the Amazon and parts of the Chaco lowlands, from 150 to 1,000 masl. * Examples: Bayo, Blando amazónico, Blando cruceño, Canario, Duro amazónico, Enano, Perla pandino.

• F. Perla (Pearl)

This type of corn usually has a short growing cycle and white, round kernels. It is grown in valleys and plains. * Examples: Aperlados, Chake sara, Perla, Perlas de los llanos, Perlas de los valles, Perola, Perla amarillo.

• G. Cordillera (Mountain range)

This corn is grown in the area where the Chaco region meets the Andes mountains, in warm-temperate valleys. * Examples: Blanco mojo y Blanco camba, Cordillera, Morochos de 14 hileras o Morocho camba.

• H. Razas de reciente introducción (Recently introduced races)

These are newer varieties, like Cubano amarillo, which have been mixed with local types. They are grown in tropical and subtropical areas, from 250 to 1,500 masl.

See also

In Spanish: Maíces bolivianos para niños