History of peppers
Mesoamerica
Early peppers
Peppers are one of the first crops domesticated in the Western Hemisphere about 10,000 BCE(Perry et al., 2007).
Early history
How capsicum changed its name to peppers
How chilli peppers became known around the globe
Source: A brief history of peppers: Legal Nomads – Jodi Ettenberg's excellent paper is well worth reading, especially for pepper lovers (and who isn't?)