According to John Sorenson, by 130 B.C. "corn" (that is, Maize)--a native plant of America--had become the leading crop in the land of Nephi. Mosiah 7:22 and 9:9 both list this crop first in the food supply of Zeniff's people, and the neighboring Lamanites apparently sought for maize in their raids upon the people (Mosiah 9:14). Corn is a plant so completely dependent on man that it does not grow in the wild. Ever since it was first cultivated thousands of years before the Nephites arrived, it had to be tended by human hands and passed on from generation to generation. We are given no hint of who taught Lehi's descendants to grow corn, nor of who gave them the seed. Of course, the people of Zeniff--the corn growers of Mosiah 9--had come from the land of Zarahemla, but where would they have got it? The obvious source in Book of Mormon terms would be Jaredite survivors [or Mulekites]. [John Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, F.A.R.M.S., p. 139]
“With Seeds of Corn”
At least by the time of Zeniff, the Nephites were growing "corn" (Mosiah 9:9). According to Joseph Allen, just as corn is the most frequently mentioned food product in the Book of Mormon, so it continues to play a major role among the Maya. This is especially significant in terms of identifying Book of Mormon lands. For example, corn didn't even show up in the eastern part of the United States until after A.D. 500. The Nephites and Lamanites [according to the Book of Mormon and the archaeological record in Mesoamerica] had been eating corn for a thousand years prior to that. [Joseph L. Allen, "Eating Breakfast With the Lamanites," in The Book of Mormon Archaeological Digest, Vol. II, Issue I, 1999, p. 4]
Mosiah 9:9 We began to till the ground . . . with seeds of corn ([Illustration]): Corn in the Codex Borbonicus. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 24]
Mosiah 9:9 We began to till the ground . . . with seeds of corn ([Illustration]): Four scenes from Sahagun's Florentine Codex display the sequence of Aztec maize cultivation and harvest. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 35]
“We Began to Till the Ground with Seeds of Corn”
According to an article by Carl Johannessen and Anne Parker, the tradition among Nahua Indians of Mexico was to sculpt maize ears with vivid likeness to reality in the headdresses of the goddess Chicomecoatl (Anton 1973: illustration 70) and other archaeological representations in the Americas (Mangelsdorf 1974:187-199). It is possible that such a tradition of sculpting could have been carried to India along with the maize. . . . "As a result of our studies we recognize a need to re-examine the pre-1492 A.D. evidence for diffusion of many species of cultivated American plants and other cultural artifacts. It is a reasonable hypothesis to suggest that large-sized maize ears reached India by sailboat many centuries prior to the 12th century A.D., enabling the Hoysala culture to have integrated maize ears into its religious symbolism prior to the time when these temples were built." [Karl L. Johannessen and Anne Z. Parker, "Maize Ears Sculpted in 12th and 13th Century A.D. India as Indicators of Pre-Columbian Diffusion." Reprinted by F.A.R.M.S. from Economic Botany 43/2 (1989): 164-80.]
Mosiah 9:9 We began to till the ground . . . with seeds of corn ([Illustration]): Three diagrammatic kernel distributions that are possible on live maize or on sculpted "ears." [Karl L. Johannessen and Anne Z. Parker, "Maize Ears Sculpted in 12th and 13th Century A.D. India as Indicators of Pre-Columbian Diffusion." Reprinted by F.A.R.M.S. from Economic Botany 43/2 (1989): 164-80.]
Mosiah 9:9 We began to till the ground . . . with seeds of corn ([Illustration]): Carefully cultured corn growing in the highlands of Guatemala. Corn or maize was a staple in the diet of the Nephites. "Although good soil and growing conditions particularly favored a few areas, most Mesoamerican agriculture was not highly productive. Vast areas are mountainous, frost threatened, or heavily forested." Photograph [Scot and Maurine Proctor, Light from the Dust, p. 148]