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Spread of Maize in the Old World

Type Object Region Central America Time c. 1520

Maize, native to Central America, spread rapidly to the Old World after 1492 via Spanish and Portuguese colonial networks;…

Timeline

  1. c. -7000–1492Valley of Mexico · MexicoMaize was domesticated over a long period on the Mexican highlands, becoming a core food and sacrificial crop of civilizations such as the Aztecs.
  2. c. 1520–1570Spain and Italy · MediterraneanSpanish colonial fleets brought maize into Iberia and Italy, where it was trial-planted in the Mediterranean climate zone and spread along trade routes.
  3. 1571–1580Ottoman Empire and North Africa · Ottoman EmpireBetween 1571 and 1580, maize formed new cultivation nodes in the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, and the East Asian coast through Mediterranean and Indian Ocean trade networks.
  4. c. 1580Agricultural regions of the Old World · EuropeAfter 1580, maize was widely promoted in Africa, South Asia, China, and elsewhere, becoming an important dryland food and fodder crop of the Old World.

Sources