Tomatoes originated in the Americas, with long-standing cultivation by Mesoamerican civilizations in what is now Mexico and Central America, and also have wild relatives that grew in western South America. Over time, the cultivated tomato spread north into Central America and then into Mexico, and later to Europe and other regions after contact with Europeans. This shaping of domestication involved both Mesoamerican material and contributions from wild relatives that lived farther south along the Andean region. In short, tomatoes are native to the Americas, with strong roots in Mexico and Central America as well as related wild populations in western South America.