Introduction and Spread of Maize in the Old World

Timeline

1. 1493–1520Spain (Andalusia) · SpainColumbus brought maize seeds on his second return to Spain in 1493, marking maize's entry into the Old World. Spanish farmers soon found maize grew rapidly and yielded more than wheat in the Mediterranean climate; it spread quickly in Andalusia and Portugal in the early 16th century, then to the Po Valley of northern Italy and across the Iberian Peninsula. European growers initially called maize "Turkish wheat" (gran turco) or "Indian wheat," reflecting vague notions of its origin.
2. c. 1520–1580Ottoman Empire (Anatolia, Balkans) · Ottoman EmpireMaize spread rapidly from the Iberian Peninsula to the Balkans and Anatolia via Venetian merchants and Ottoman trade networks; the Ottomans named it "mısır" (meaning "Egypt," mistakenly believing it came from Egypt). Maize spread with astonishing speed in Ottoman rural communities, its drought tolerance and high yield suiting the Anatolian plateau climate, becoming a key pillar of Ottoman agricultural expansion and a storable military ration for Ottoman armies.
3. c. 1550–1640West and North African coasts · West AfricaPortuguese and Spanish colonists brought maize to the West African coast via Atlantic trade routes; it quickly gained dominance in West Africa's tropical and subtropical climates, out-yielding local sorghum and millet. It also entered Egypt and the Maghreb through North African Mediterranean ports. The widespread cultivation of maize in West Africa historically had an indirect impact on the population supply dynamics of the later transatlantic slave trade.
4. c. 1640–1680Southwest and South China (Yunnan, Guangdong, Fujian, etc.) · ChinaMaize was introduced to China around the early 16th century by the Portuguese via Macau, with two other routes via the northwestern Silk Road and Southeast Asian sea lanes. Late Ming texts (such as the 1573 Liuqing Rizha) already explicitly mention maize (then called "fanmai," "yumai," "yushushu," etc.). In the 1670s, with Qing policies opening mountain lands, maize expanded rapidly in mountainous provinces like Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Fujian, becoming the preferred food crop for hills and mountains unsuitable for rice, significantly extending the range of Chinese agriculture.
5. 1700Major agricultural regions of the Old World globally · GlobalAfter the 18th century, maize completed its transformation in the Old World from an introduced species to a staple crop; its high caloric value, high yield, and adaptability to diverse climates made it the world's third-largest food crop (after wheat and rice). In China, maize cultivation drove mountain development and population growth in the 18th–19th centuries; in Europe, maize (polenta) became a staple of the lower classes in Italy, Romania, and other countries; in Africa, maize completely reshaped the agricultural landscape of sub-Saharan regions. The global spread of maize is one of the most profound species exchange events in modern agricultural history.