The first chiles were tiny wild berries that
grew on vines in the forests in South America's
Amazon jungle thousands of years ago. The plants
multiplied and gradually spread northwards from
central South America through Central America,
the Caribbean, and into Southwestern North America.
This continued migration was the result of birds
spreading the seeds and of cultural exchanges and
trade between the peoples of South America and
Mesoamerica.

Chiles were one of the earliest plants to be
cultivated and domesticated in the New World.
Archaeological evidence suggests that chiles were
used as a food ingredient at least 8,000 years ago,
around 6200 B.C. Traces of chiles dating from this
time were found in burial sites in Peru.
Chiles were used in the pre-Columbian New World to
impart flavor and spiciness to food. They were
common to the diets of the civilizations of the
Incas, Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayans, and Aztecs. The
Mayans cultivated many types of chile (at least
30 varieties) and recent evidence shows that the
Aztecs used them in almost every dish.

It is also known that chiles were grown and used
in what is now the United States by the ancestors
of today's Southwestern Pueblo Indians about 1,000
years ago. The Spanish colonization of the
Southwest and the foundation of the Mission
system were important factors in the rapid spread
of chiles throughout that region. In the 16th
century, for instance, the Spanish explorer
Captain General Juan de Onate introduced the
formal cultivation of certain varieties from Mexico.

At the time of Columbus' discovery of "pepper",
black pepper was a highly prized commodity, as
valuable as silver in the European marketplace.
Columbus' mistake was the culinary world's gain,
for he and other explorers brought chile seeds
back to their homelands, and the fruit from the
plants of these seeds received a rousing reception.
Chiles were found to be a good substitute for black
pepper; they added a welcome piquancy and flavor to
the existing cuisines. They were also easy to grow
whereas true pepper was not.
 

The Spanish and Portuguese explorers took chiles with
them on their travels, and the plant rapidly
established itself along the new maritime trade routes
to North Africa, the West African coast, Madagascar,
and India. The native populations there incorporated
chiles into their diets, and chiles soon became a part
of the cuisines of those regions. By 1550, chiles had
reached western China, Southeast Asia, and the East
Indies. Within 100 years, then, chiles had spread
from the Americas right around the world. They had
even reached far countries such as Hungary (brought
there by the Ottoman Turks) and Tibet.
 

Today, chiles are grown throughout the world, but the
major portion of the world's crop is grown and eaten
in Mexico. They are also widely grown in New Mexico,
California, Texas, and Arizona. New Mexico is the
largest producer of chiles in the United States.
Louisiana is also a major producer.
 

Chiles are being grown increasingly in other parts
of the United States as interest in ethnic foods
and spicier dishes grows.