Part 3/13:
Although domestication likely happened in Mesoamerica around 500 BC, the earliest cultivation and improvement efforts were undertaken by the Maya and Aztecs. The Aztecs called it jitomate, a term which contributed to the word "tomato" in English. When the Spaniards arrived in 1519 during their conquest of Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City), they encountered a variety of tomatoes—many of which resembled the ripe, colorful fruits we see today.