Tobacco, a plant native to the Americas, was grown-up and utilized by the Mayans. These were the indigenous people of Mexico and parts of Central America. The fame of this plant widens throughout the north and south as other tribes began to plant it. After Christopher Columbus came to the Americas in 1412, tobacco reached international attention and became popular in Europe as well.The sailors learned of it from the natives and found that they enjoyed using it. They brought it back with them to Spain and Portugal when they returned from that famous trip. There, its usage became more widespread when it began to be used by the people in France. It was so popular there, that the French Ambassador, Jean Nicot allowed scientists to link his name to it, hence the word nicotine.The actual scientific name for the plant is Nicotiana tabacum. There is some debate over where the word tobacco came from. Some believe it originated in Mexico in the current state of Tabasco. Others believe that it comes from a Caribbean island named Tobago. The Mississippi tribes were probably the first to begin using it in North America. In 1612, the first tobacco plantation was established in Virginia and more plantations began to crop up in Maryland and other parts of the south.