used for millennia; from c. 1000 BCEReputable sourceWell documented
Tobacco in the Ancient Americas
On the timeline · around used for millennia; from c. 1000 BCE ·
What happened
Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous peoples across the Americas grew and used tobacco (Nicotiana). For over a thousand years it was chewed, smoked, snuffed and even drunk — used as a stimulant, a medicine, and a sacred plant for ritual and communion with the spirit world.
Why it matters
Tobacco is native to the Americas, where it was a sacred and medicinal plant for millennia before it became the world's most widespread drug.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. A Brief History of Tobacco in the Americas · Reputable source