Criollo pigs of the Americas: a Canary Islands cargo of 1493 and its Iberian signature

The first pigs in the Americas were loaded in the Canary Islands on Columbus's second voyage of 1493. The largest survey of their descendants - 1,715 animals across 46 populations - finds Criollo pigs still closest to Iberian breeds, the Iberian contribution coming mainly from the northern Celtic-type breeds rather than the famous Mediterranean ones, and no trace of the supposed colonial-era Chinese introduction. Several of these breeds now have double-digit censuses.