1493

1493 is a year in the 15th century. In the aftermath of Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas, 1493 saw steps that deepened European involvement and laid groundwork for later colonial expansion. A pivotal event was the papal bull Inter caetera, issued by Pope Alexander VI on May 3, 1493, which declared that newly discovered lands west of a demarcation line would belong to Castile (Spain) and those to the east to Portugal, setting the stage for the later Treaty of Tordesillas. The year also saw Columbus returning to Europe to report his discoveries to the Catholic Monarchs, and preparations for a second voyage with a larger fleet to establish settlements in the Caribbean.

1493 is also the title of a book by Charles C. Mann, published in 2012, which examines the Columbian Exchange—the global transfer of crops, animals, people, and diseases sparked by Columbus's voyages. Mann argues that this exchange connected ecosystems and economies worldwide and helped shape the modern world. The book traces how crops such as potatoes, maize, tomatoes, and cacao moved from the Americas to Europe, Africa, and Asia, while Old World crops and livestock spread to the Americas. It also discusses the ecological and social consequences of these movements and how they contributed to population shifts, migration, and globalization. The work received widespread attention for its broad synthesis of environmental history.