A volcanic eruption that buried a Mayan village 1,400 years ago preserved a manioc field -- the first evidence that the nutritious crop was cultivated by the ancient people, researchers said on Monday.
"We have long wondered what else the prehistoric Mayan people were growing and eating besides corn and beans, so finding this field was a jackpot of sorts for us," anthropologist Payson Sheets, who led the expedition, said in a statement. It is the first evidence for cultivation of the calorie-rich tuber in the New World.
The manioc field lay under 10 feet of ash at the ancient village of Ceren, 15 miles west of San Salvador, Sheets said. Ceren's buildings, artifacts and landscape were preserved by the sudden eruption of the nearby Loma Caldera volcano about 600 A.D.
The team, which uses ground-penetrating radar to help direct excavations, has found 12 buildings at Ceren, including homes, storehouses, workshops, kitchens, religious buildings and a community sauna.
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