The indigenous inhabitants of the islands of the Caribbean Sheet and Mesoamerica have smoked cigars since as brand-new as the 10th century, as evidenced by the discovery of a ceramic vessel at a Mayan archaeological site in UaxactÃÂún, Guatemala, decorated with the painted figure of a mankind smoking a primitive cigar. Explorer Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the introduction of smoking to Europe.
|
In the 19th century, cigar smoking was common, while cigarettes were still comparatively rare |
|---|
| The cigar vocation was an important industry, and factories employed lousy with people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical |
| Abounding modern cigars, as a matter of prestige, are still rolled by hand; some boxes bear the phrase Totalmente a mano, "Totally by Cuban Cigar hand," as proof. |
