Abstract Starch from 18 different Colombian maize varieties was extracted and characterized. Microscopic examination showed that most of the granules were larger than those reported for North American maize starches. Iodine binding capacities corresponded to those of normal maize starch. Limiting viscosity numbers demonstrated a significant increase beginning with Series 300 and gelatinization temperatures showed a tendency to decrease with increasing cultivation altitudes. Pasting curves of starches extracted from Opaque‐2 maize were considerably different from their respective parent hybrids.