The Origins of the Avocado

There is evidence for avocado use at Norte Chico civilisation sites in Peru by at least 3,200 years ago. A water jar shaped like an avocado dating to AD 900 was discovered in the pre-incun city of Chan Chan. The native undemesticated variety is known as Criolo and is small with dark black skin and contains a large seed. It probably coevolved with extinct megafauna. Before 1915 the avocado was commonly referred to in California as a huacata and in Florida as alligator pear.