HISTORY AVOCADO
The avocado is the fruit of the avocado tree, a tree native to Mesoamerica, particularly in the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala. Belonging to the laurel family, its varieties belong to the Persean genus.
Its consumption is documented by archeology since the origin of the first Mesoamerican settlements more than 10,000 years ago, and its domestication probably occurred 5,000 years ago. The name comes from Nahuatl, a language spread throughout the region, and appears in the construction of hundreds of place names. Its cultivation has spread everywhere and has spread to various climates. In some parts, especially in South America, it is known as avocado, a term of probable Quechua origin. The fruit is similar to a large pear, its pulp is soft and yellow when ripe.
It is highly appreciated in Guatemala, and historically those that were produced in Antigua Guatemala and Sacatepéquez were celebrated. Its consumption is recorded throughout our history since colonial times; Agronomic manipulation began at the beginning of the twentieth century, the first exports date back to the 1930s and its technicalization was formalized in the 1970s, when the diversification of crops for export purposes began to be promoted in the country.
In addition to being a very pleasant and nutritious fruit in its natural form, it has many culinary uses, from the most traditional recipes to its increasingly widespread incorporation into sophisticated dishes of all kinds. In addition, very varied medicinal properties are attributed to the shell and the seed.
-History of Avocado in Guatemala made for SOLAGRO by Ruben E. Nájera, Guatemalan playwright, poet and historian.
