Agriculture was fundamental to prehistoric societies and an addictive trend that eventually replaced hunter-gatherer societies. It has become debatable whether agriculture produced Jordan Childe's "Neolithic Revolution" or whether it served later purposes in religious and social programs, but it is certain that it spread across the world , perhaps by a natural cause or by the direct influence of human activity. In the case of Mesoamerica, these debates tend to privilege agriculture as a revolution aimed at improving subsistence and resulting from both the intentional actions of humans and the natural environment that supported productivity. Agriculture developed in Mesoamerica gradually due to the ideal conditions that allowed natural expansion over agriculture. “Neolithic revolution,” suggests Jordon Childe. Corn originated from teosinte long before the innovation of pottery and before hunter-gatherer societies settled villages. The variety of crops arising from agriculture arose independently before later spreading to the American Southwest and North America during the Formative Period. Optimal food foraging theory could explain the role of human actions in the spread of agriculture as a byproduct of rational societies adapting to the Mesoamerican example in the self-interest of reproducing valuable food sources. This belief spread easily through group-to-group diffusion between societies within and later to the American southwest. However, it is also essential to accept that the environment played a fundamental role in how the agriculture of the Americas was able to spread so widely from Mesoamerica. Although corn was introduced extensively to eastern North America as the dominant agricultural plant, lamb's-quarters, swamp elder, and sunflowers were domesticated...... middle of paper.. ....by the adaptability of corn, squash and beans to reproduce effectively in the field and environment. Instead of the great "Neolithic revolution", it is suggested that the trend towards agricultural dependence was gradual due to the stable environment and conservative use of agriculture by Mesoamerican societies to conveniently provide a surplus additional food resources. This accumulation of surplus goods eventually gave rise to more complex societies composed of social classes, chiefdoms and political jurisdictions. Works cited Chazan 2008, Pg. 205. Chazan 2008, p. 211.Chazan 2008, p. 209. Merrill, Hard, Mabry, Fritz, Adams, Roney, and MacWilliams 2009, p. 21020.Chazan 2008, p. 214. Merrill et al. 2009, p. 21023. Bowles 2011, p. 4763. Chazan 2008, p. 206. Chazan 2008, p. 206. Bowles 2011, p. 4764. Merrill et al. 2009, page. 21024.