[Sca-cooks] Vanilla in the old and new world?

[Terry Decker]

The original paper is proving elusive, but the abstract of the paper lists 
three possible sources.  The Smithsonian article specifically denies this 
find as proof of trade with Mesoamerica in the Bronze Age and comments on 
the three possible sources.  There is a speculation by Eric Cline that the 
vanilla came from a Southeast Asian source via trade with the extensive 
Mesopotamian culture in Southwest Asia, but none of the articles I have read 
put forward the SE Asia-Mesoamerica trade as a possible source.  He puts 
forward V. abundiflora J.J. Sm as the probable source.  The Mesoamerican 
plants tend to be V. planiflora or V. odorata.

There is some DNA evidence that some of the vanilla plants in Mexico and in 
Polynesia are the same species, but that neither proves nor disproves trade 
between Mesoamerica and Polynesia.  It also doesn't rule out prehistoric 
landmass dispersion or transference in the historic period.

I really would like to know the source of the article you are referencing, 
since I can't find any suggestion of a Mesoamerican connection with the 
Megiddo find.

Bear


I was unable to get the original article. The article I was able to read
hypothesized trade between Southeast Asia and Mesoamerica - a trade route
there is no real evidence for but a small number of scholars pushes. The
article didn’T mention other orchid varieties, instead suggesting it was
the same variety as from Mesoamerica.

Richenda