in the storeroom, archaeologist andrea gerstle measures the remains of a basket that once held corn. corncobs have been found in dry caves where no deterioration takes place, and you get a lot of detail in those instances. but in tropical climates, you wouldn't expect to find any remains at all. the level of preservation here is excellent. and it's because the corn was coated by a layer of superfine ash. that superfine ash was moist and hardened into a shell around the corn. and then the corn rotted away, leaving a hollow space. when we filled that hollow space with dental plaster, we can recover all of the details of the corncob, even though we can't touch the corncob itself, the original corncob. this area is incredibly lush. it's incredibly rich. and the variety of plants and foods -- just wild foods -- that can be collected here today is -- is marvelous ! i imagine 1,400 years ago the variety was at least as great. and so i don't think living here wguld have been very difficult at all. keach: at ceren, household members grew their own food and made their own tools, pottery and cl