Agriculture in the Cañón del Ingre is first and last about corn.

It's not clear to me whether the Guaraní in el Ingre had a variety of corn before the arrival of the Spaniards. Many sources, however, talk about the early Guaraní's love for corn: it was a staple of their sustenance, and though they remained hunter-gatherers, it was the main factor in their transition to a more agricultural society. On the other hand, corn was never more than one element in a varied diet.

Apparently the patrones' attitude towards corn was different. They grew corn for cattle feed, sold the cattle, and bought food with the profits. These days the Guaraní don't raise cattle, but the legacy of the corn monoculture has persisted; many families grow nothing but corn and a little kumanda (my neighbors are practically unique among Bolivians in their appreciation of beans).