This recently planted prickly pear is from Andalusia, Spain, but prickly pears are originally from America. They are currently suffering from a very aggressive pest, the carmine mealybug, which is killing them little by little. Prickly pears arrived in Spain in the 16th century, between 1548 and 1570, with the expeditions to the New World. It later adapted to our Mediterranean climate and eventually became part of the Mediterranean landscape.