Spanish explorer who became the first European to cross the Mississippi River brought 13 pigs from Cuba to Tampa Bay in 1539. Three years later, his herd had grown to 700, and its spread helped turn America into a pork-producing giant

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto is remembered for conquest, exploration and one of the earliest European journeys deep into what is now the United States. The Spanish conquistador had already taken part in expeditions across Central America and played a role in Francisco Pizarro’s conquest of the Inca Empire before leading an expedition through the American South. He would become the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River.

But one of de Soto’s most unexpected legacies had little to do with maps, gold or conquest, its the bacon on our plate. He is often described as the “father of the American pork industry,” at least the Texas Pork Producers Association (TPPA) likes to call him, because the pigs traveling with his expedition helped establish a rapidly growing population that would eventually contribute to the rise of one of America's biggest agricultural industries.

Before setting out on his expedition to La Florida (Tampa Bay) after leaving Havana, Hernando obtained a herd of pigs (as per multiple accounts, including TPPS, 13) in Cuba from Vasco Porcallo. The animals were not simply brought along by chance; they were intended to serve as a “mobile larder,” providing the expedition with a moving supply of fresh meat. Archaeologists later found pig remains at the Governor Martin House site, which became one line of evidence linking the site to de Soto’s expedition, according to the Florida Department of State.


By the time de Soto died just three years later, his original herd had reportedly grown to 700 pigs. That number did not include the animals consumed by his expedition, those that escaped and became wild, or pigs given to Native Americans. Those escaped animals would eventually become ancestors of today's feral pigs and razorbacks.

Pigs had already traveled across the world

The history of pigs stretches back far beyond the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. Fossil evidence from multiple studies indicates that wild pig-like animals roamed forests and swamps in Europe and Asia around 40 million years ago.

Pigs were domesticated in China by around 4900 B.C. and were being raised in Europe by 1500 B.C. The animals eventually crossed the Atlantic with European explorers. In 1493, Christopher Columbus took eight pigs on his voyage to Cuba, reportedly on the insistence of Queen Isabella.

From the Caribbean, pigs began spreading into the Americas with subsequent Spanish expeditions, setting the stage for their wider introduction into what would become the United States. But it was de Soto’s 1539 expedition to Florida that became a particularly important chapter in the history of pork production in America.

From wandering pigs to colonial farms

Pig production gradually spread through the colonies. Hernando Cortez introduced hogs to New Mexico in 1600, while Sir Walter Raleigh brought sows to Jamestown Colony in Virginia in 1607.

Pigs became so common and destructive that colonial authorities sometimes had to control them. Semi-wild animals damaged grain fields in New York, leading colonists to require owners of larger pigs to put rings in their noses, the TPPS notes.

On Manhattan Island, a long wall was built along the northern edge of the colony partly to control roaming pigs. The area later became known as Wall Street. By 1660, the pig population in Pennsylvania had grown into the thousands. Many farmers kept four or five pigs, producing salt pork and bacon for their families and selling surplus meat.

America heads west, with pigs along for the journey

After the Revolutionary War, American pioneers heading west often took pigs with them. Young pigs were sometimes transported in wooden crates attached to wagons known as prairie schooners, according to a 2009 Austin Chronicle article. As settlements expanded and pig populations increased, pork became an increasingly important part of the growing American economy.

The need to process the animals created new industries. Packing plants appeared in major cities, and Cincinnati emerged as one of the country's biggest pork-processing centers. During the mid-1800s, it packed more pork than any other place and became known as “Porkopolis.”

The railways transformed the pork business

Getting pigs to market was once an enormous challenge. During the 1850s, “drovers” moved herds along long trails toward eastern markets. Between 40,000 and 70,000 pigs were reportedly driven from Ohio each year. The animals could travel five to eight miles a day, sometimes covering distances of up to 700 miles, the outlet describes.

Then came a technological revolution. The refrigerated railroad car, introduced shortly after the Civil War, transformed the meat industry. Packing facilities could now be concentrated closer to pig-raising areas, while processed pork could be transported across the country.

The industry increasingly shifted to the Upper Midwest, where feed grains were abundant. The region's Corn Belt also became known as the Hog Belt.

States including Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana and Missouri became major pork producers, with Iowa continuing to hold the top position.

Those 13 pigs made USA a major pork exporter

The American pork industry changed dramatically again during the 1980s and 1990s as advances in genetics, disease control and production methods increased efficiency.

North Carolina emerged as another major center of production, becoming the country's second-largest pork-producing state.

Today, the industry that grew from centuries of exploration, migration, farming and technological change operates on a global scale. For instance, between 2010 and 2025, US pork exports experienced massive growth, nearly doubling in economic value from $3.49 billion (1.53 million metric tons) to $8.39 billion (2.94 million metric tons). This 15-year expansion peaked in 2024, setting a historical record with $8.63 billion in value and over 3.02 million metric tons in volume, driven by explosive demand in Mexico and critical market diversification.

While a devastating outbreak of African Swine Fever in China caused a massive, temporary buying surge in 2020, it was the steady long-term growth of high-value muscle cuts and a billion-dollar international market for variety meats that ultimately cemented the decade-and-a-half upward trajectory. And the success story can be traced back to an extraordinary historical moment. In 1539, Hernando de Soto arrived in Florida with just 13 pigs. Centuries later, their descendants, and the industry that followed, would help make pork one of the most important agricultural products in the United States.