Handbook of Vanilla Science and Technology

1735 | Para-Brazil | ”... we imagine that [...], cacaos, and vanilla, are the only useful plants which the fruitful blossom of American presents?”, ”various useful articles as well from the rivers which fall into the Amazons, as from the river itself, such as [...}, vanilla, sugar, coffee, and in abundance cocoa, which is the currency of the country” | Condamine 17351745

1741 | Santa Marta, Colombia | ”... in some of the hills there iswildvanilla, no cultivation, but very little is used and is only identified by scent...” | Patino 2002,

1743 | Santo Domingo | Franc ois Geoffroygoes on to state, ”It is certain that the vanilla of Santo Domingo is not different from that of Mexico, which was described by Hernández, save for the color of the flowers and the aroma of the pods since the Mexican flower is black and the pod has a pleasant aroma” | Etienne 1743

1750 | Veracruz, Mexico | First record of planting vanilla, vainillales, among the Totonac communities. 1800s were a golden era for Papantla | Fontecilla 1861; Bruman 1948; Kouri 2004

Mid-1700s | Caribbean coast, Colombia | Mid-18 century, vanilla was one the main products of extraction near Providence Island | Patinno 2002

1760s - 1840s

Year | Place | Comments | References

1762-1764 | French Guiana; Para, Brazil | ”That is the usual manner [used to process vanilla] by Galibi & Caribes naturals of Guiana, and by the Garipons escaped from Para, Portuguese colony in the banks of the Amazon river...” | Aublet 1775

1771 | Jamaica | Vanilla appears in a table entitled ”Duties payable upon importation into Great Britain on the following commodities, being of the produce of Jamaica” | Long 1774

1777-1788 | Peru, Huanuco, Village of Pozuzo West Indies | ”Vanilla gathering in different locations and selling by Indians. ”The harvest in those forest is small because of the little value there | Ruiz, 1998

1839 | ”Vanillons produced from V. pompona in Guadaloupe. ”Vanilla was cultivated as early as 1839 on [...] Martiniqueand [...] Guadeloupe”. Introduction ofvanilla to Reunion from French Guiana | Purseglove et al. 1981; Weiss 2002; Arbell 1995

1850s-Present |

Year | Place | Comments | References

1840s and 1860s | Reunion, West Indies | Edmond Albius discovered methods to effect hand pollination ofvanilla flowers. Mexico was replaced by Reunion as the world's principal vanilla producer | Ecott 2004; Kouri 2004

1878 | Venezuela | In Venezuela vanilla was later used as a flavoring agent | Spence 1878

1889 | Amazon Basin | ”Indigenous people wear one or more vanillas in necklaces for its fragrance” | Patino 2002

1894 | Amazon Basin | ”[they] like very much a species, known in cities like Cartagena and Panama as Bainilla, mixed with chocolate and Indigenous people wore around their neck...” | Patino 2002

1927 | Maynas region, Peru, at the time Ecuador | ”As good as the best from Spain” | Patinno, 2002,

1942 | Putumayo river, Colombia | Richard E. Schultes acquires a necklace from Siona Indians | Botanical Museum 6836; Romero and Sabel in preparation

1988 | Surinam | Fermented fruit is made into vanilla crystals, which are put into carapa oil (Carapa guianensis).For blood circulation (circulatory problems), skin conditions (skin diseases). | Heyde 1987; DeFilipps et al. 2004

Present | Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico | New York had its suppliers from Mexico and, increasingly, from Baltimore, Michigan and New Jersey | See text

Finally, in the last section of the paper, “The Vanilla Necklace”, we discuss a unique use of vanilla beans as magic-ritual items for the Siona-Secoya of northern South America.

8.1.1 I. Pre-Cultivation, ca. 1500-1750s