EL GIGANTE, HONDURAS—Today, avocados are celebrated as a superfood and avocado farming is a global, multibillion-dollar industry. The fruits grow naturally over parts of Mexico, South America, and Central America, but the history and origins of avocado domestication have long remained unclear. According to a statement released by the University of California, Santa Barbara, a team of anthropologists and biologists from various academic institutions recently tackled the problem by analyzing and dating more than 1,700 fossilized avocado seeds recovered during excavations at the El Gigante Rockshelter in western Honduras. They determined that Indigenous peoples were already tending to wild avocado trees as far back as 11,000 years ago, but that the domestication process began around 7,500 years ago. That is when farmers began to consciously select bigger and thicker-skinned avocados and to plant seeds from fruits with these desirable characteristics. Perhaps the study’s biggest revelation, however, is that avocado farming dates back even further than maize cultivation in the area. “This completely alters our understanding of Mesoamerican agriculture—traditionally seen as maize transforming foragers into farmers upon its arrival to a new location,” said UC Santa Barbara researcher Amber VanDerwarker. “But our case study shows that ancient Hondurans were already farmers as they were fully engaged in tree cultivation upon maize’s arrival.” To read about the ancient dispersal of maize from Mexico to South America, go to "The Great Maize Migration."
