Ongoing research at rockshelter sites in the Maya Mountains of Belize is changing how we view the early foragers and farmers in the neotropics. Humans utilized these sites before 12,500 Cal. BP subsisting on hunting, freshwater resources, and C3 plants. The earliest burials descended from Native Americans who migrated southward from the Western U.S. into Central and South America before 10,000 Cal. BP. These founding lineages formed distinctive communities across the neotropics by 7,000 Cal. BP as they began intensifying food production. Our study indicates maize was a minor, but notable, part of the diet prior to 4,700 Cal. BP, but rapidly became a staple in less than 700 years. We hypothesize that productive varieties of maize were introduced into the Maya Lowlands in concert with a previously unknown migration from the Isthmo-Colombian region between 6,000-5,000 Cal BP. In addition, this project has developed strong collaborative ties with local descendant communities in Belize though collaborations with a conservation NGO and regular open consultations.