Maize, or corn, plays a vital role in many parts of the world today, and each place views and handles corn in a different way. How they manage corn can reveal small details about the region and the crop as a whole. Not only is corn a staple food today, but it was also very present in the lives of ancient Native Americans; corn is sometimes worshiped as a deity and other times as a gift from the Creator or a culture hero to the people. After a brief history of corn, comparing the United States with China and Hungary will give a wide range of countries and cultures to show how each views corn. Next, ancient legends about the birth of corn, how it is revered, and how it was planted according to Native Americans will be examined. Evidence has shown that the corn we know today is very different from when it was first domesticated in Mexico. Although researchers and academia recognize that corn began its global journey in Mexico, they are unsure of the time and place of the first domestication (American Society of Plant Biologist). Thanks to genetics, teosinte turns out to be the wild ancestor of corn. Although the two don't look much alike, at the DNA level they are surprisingly similar, such as having the same number of chromosomes and a remarkably similar arrangement of genes (University of Utah). Currently, the United States is the largest producer of corn in the world. In 2010, it produced 32% of the world's corn harvest. Corn is grown on approximately 400,000 farms in the United States, showing its importance in the American diet. Twenty percent of corn produced is exported and corn grown for grain accounts for nearly a quarter of the crop acres harvested in this country (National Corn Grower's Association...... middle of paper ......ther .The Native Americans held corn to a higher standard than any other country today. For the natives, corn was essentially a gift of life. They learned to grow corn from. the best possible way without harming the environment around them one with nature.In conclusion, corn has come a long way since its first domestication. It started as a precious commodity for the native people as they worshiped the goddesses of the. corn and had constant rituals allowing them to receive the corn and give thanks for the corn The United States seems to want to produce as much as possible – and profit from it. China and Hungary also aim to produce corn, but each other. limited to unmodified corn, although all of the previously mentioned groups have/had their own way of viewing corn. , one thing is certain: corn is a popular plant and currently essential to our lives..