Cotton and Mesoamerica
with Keith Merwin
When you hear about Mesoamerican agriculture you think of corn, but modern cotton is a Mesoamerican development. The oldest known cotton textiles come from a cave near Tehuacán, Mexico and have been dated to around 5800 BC. Over 90% of the world’s cotton crop is made up of Gossypium hirsutum, which is native to Mexico and Central America. And G. barbadense, which is believed to come from Peru, makes up most of the rest of the crop. Modern commercial cotton is white, but varieties developed in Ancient America include white, brown, green, red and shades of these colors.
This presentation will discuss the history of cotton in the Americas and its relationship to modern cotton. Photographs of cotton in several colors will be included. (To the right is an example of Green cotton.)
Keith Merwin
Keith Merwin is a retired consultant who worked in telecommunications and information processing. Having worked in these fields for over 20 years, Merwin has spoken at conferences in the United States and Europe. His interest in Mesoamerica originated when he was young and a relative, Dr Bruce Merwin, told him about his work with his brother, Dr. Raymond E. Merwin. Raymond was an early Mayanist for the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. Keith is working on visiting all the sites Raymond worked at during his expeditions.
Keith in front of the frieze at the site of Holmul, Guatemala.