The Maize Database Project: A Hopi-Crow Canyon Collaboration

The Hopi Cultural Preservation Office and the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center co-developed a project titled, Developing a Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Maize for Colorado and the Greater Southwest, or the Maize Database Project for short.  The importance of maize to Pueblo people can’t be overstated. Pueblo oral history ties their origins to the adoption of maize agriculture. Likewise, for archaeologists, it is the introduction of maize farming that marks the beginning of Pueblo society and history. The Maize Database Project seeks to build the first comprehensive, publicly accessible database of curated Ancestral Pueblo maize. Through a series of workshops and museum visits, our team of Hopi and Crow Canyon scholars will assess connections between ancient and modern Pueblo maize and create a database for future research and education programs.