Did you know that when you bite into a chocolate bar or toss a tomato in a salad you become a part of the Columbian Exchange?

The Columbian Exchange that began in 1492 has initiated a movement of people, commingling of plants, animals and diseases that have had a significant impact on world ecology and politics. It shifted the balance of power in the world, caused the rise of global enterprise and changed where and how we live. With reference to the artefacts in the Treasures of the World from the British Museum exhibition, this talk will begin with the story of people moving into the New World, touch on the rise and fall of the Empires of the Aztec and Inca, and end with a look at the East Coast of North America and tobacco.

About the Speaker

Mary F. Leadbetter is a volunteer docent with the Friends of the Museums (FOM) at the Asian Civilisations Museum. A native North Carolinian from the United States, she is now an Instructor in History for the Culinary Institute of America’s Singapore programme, as well as a student in the Master’s programme for Asian Art Histories at LaSalle School of the Arts.