How did early farmers store corn and other crops in Mesoamerica?

In Mesoamerica, early farmers developed methods to manage their harvests as they transitioned toward more sedentary lifestyles. To preserve their crops, including staples like corn, they utilized storage pits or granaries.1

While these storage techniques were essential for sustaining early agricultural communities, it is important to distinguish these practices from those of other regions, such as the Andean civilization. In the high Andes, for instance, populations creatively utilized the extreme diurnal temperature fluctuations to process and preserve food in large-scale warehouse systems, a method distinct from the storage practices documented in the Mesoamerican lowlands.2

In Mesoamerica, the ability to store food effectively supported the growth of Early Formative villages and, eventually, the development of large urban centers and empires.1