In European cultures, a corn doll was often used to represent the spirit of the harvested crops. However, Europe didn’t have a monopoly on this at all. In South American countries, some communities took the largest portion of the crops — typically maize — and dressed it in clothing as an effigy. In Peru, people honored different spirits of the crops. The Maize Mother was the zara mama, the spirit of quinoa (please, for the love of dog, pronounce it KEEN-wa!) was known as quinoa mama, and everything from the cocoa tree to the lowly potato had a life essence. In North America, the native tribes grew corn, or maize,…