knowledge in science, arts, architecture, astronomy,
agriculture and irrigation, active commerce, and
natural laws directing daily life according to their
divinities. Total population was estimated to be at
about 60 000 000 inhabitants, with the Aztec Empire
the largest at close to 20 000 000; Tenochtitlan, where
Mexico City now stands, had more than 500 000
inhabitants. More than 200 languages were spoken,
and native people had deep contact with and knowl-
edge of nature. They “domesticated” the best lines
they could obtain from their wild plants, taking care
of their own natural biodiversity (Lucena, 2005).
Three foods, which maintain their importance and
wide biodiversity until today, were basic for feeding the
large populations in these three empires: corn (Zea
mayss), yuca (Manihot esculenta,Manihot utilissima)
and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Corn (Zea mayss),
the “sacred” food, was basic for the Mayan, Aztec and
Incan populations, and its importance is maintained
until today as it continues to be the basic food for many
typical meals in Latin America. The oldest evidence of
its cultivation is found in the Tehuacán valley, Mexico,
from about 7 000 years ago. Corn means “support of
the life”, and it had great importance in religious cer-
emonies, celebrations and nutrition.
The Aztecs said that “corn is our body, our blood
and bones”. Corn was the first Latin America
species introduced to Europe at the end of the fif-
teenth Century. It maintains its great biodiversity
in grain colour: white, yellow, deep yellow, brown-
ish, deep violet (FAO, 1993; Tapia, 1997), and is a
good source of Zeaxantina and Luteina (Kimura et
al., 2007). “Nixtamalization” is an ancient proce-
dure still used in Mexico to improve the availability
of minerals, vitamin B and protein in corn flour,
giving the Aztecs a sustainable diet based mainly
on nixtamal, plus beans, pumpkin, hot chili,
tomato, prickly pears etc., and it is considered nu-
tritionally satisfactory (FAO, 1993). Corn germ oil
is a good source of linoleic acid (close to 60%), to-
copherols, and phytosterols (Moreau et al., 2009).
Yuca root, cassava or manioc was the basic food inthe middle tropical region. One variety was sweet
(Manihot utilissima), and one bitter (Manihot esculenta).
The latter variety is detoxified for human consumption,
and is the base for preparing “tapioca“ flour. Its
history starts in around the year 2700 BC. The
sweet variety is found from the Pacific to Mexico
and Central America, and the bitter one from
Paraguay to northeast Brazil. Portuguese naviga-
tors introduced yuca to Africa in the seventeenth
century, after corn, and yuca then expanded to the
Indian Ocean Islands, India, Asia and the Pacific Is-
lands. Yuca is one of the more widely cultivated
plants in the world. With its low costs for produc-
tion and processing, high yield, and low commer-
cial importance, it is a food dedicated mainly to
private consumption in the local communities in
developing countries. In Paraguay and in Brazil,
one of the largest producers of yuca, this native
root is still a food consumed daily in different
forms. In Brazil, it is the principal ingredient in two
symbolic foods, “farofa” and “pirão”. In Colombia
and Venezuela, yuca also has great importance
(Ospina and Ceballos, 2002; Cartay, 2004). Yuca is
a high source of carbohydrates, some minerals,
and vitamins (TACO, 2006).
Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are the third basic
food. Originating in South America, high in the Lake
Titicaca region of the Andes Mountains at an alti-
tude of 3 800 m, the potato has been consumed in
the Andes for about 8 000 years. Maintaining its
leadership position in the Andes valleys together
with corn (Tapia, 1997), Andean potatoes have great
biodiversity, with different shapes, sizes and skin
colours: green, yellow, pink, red and violet. Potatoes
are an important source of energy, vitamin C, min-
erals, carotenoids, anthocyanins in the peel and
flesh (Schmidt-Hebbelet al., 1992; Andre et al.,
2 007a; Andreet al., 2007b; Moenne-Locoz, 2008 ;
Burmeister et al., 2011). There are more than 5 00 0
varieties in the Andes region and more than 200 An-
dean potato varieties in Jujuy northwest of Argen-
tine 26–28° parallel latitude south. Seven varieties216