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History of the cigar
The first modern observation of the cigar occurred with the arrival
of Christopher Columbus in the New World. On October 28,
1492 Columbus noted in his log reports that the natives of San
Salvador burned and inhaled the leaves of a local plant. Rodrigo de
Xeres, a lieutenant on Columbus's expedition became the first
European to smoke the Indian's form of a cigar. Rodrigo smoked on
every subsequent day of the expedition.
The Indians in South and Central America did not smoke cigars as we
know them today. The natives smoked tobacco wrapped in maize, palm or
other native vegetation. The Spanish created the cigar industry, and are
given credit for creating the modern cigar.
The Origin of the word cigar comes from the native language of the
ancient Mayans. The Mayans called the cigar a "Ciq-Sigan" which the
Spanish word "Cigarro" is derived from. The New English Dictionary of
1735 called the cigar a "seegar", and was later adapted into the modern
word "cigar".
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