The Sisal plant was named after Sisal, the Spanish port, in the Yucatan, Mexico. It is believed that the Sisal plant originated from the Yucatan region in Mexico. Sisal has been in Tanzania for over a hundred years, and during that time, it has had a significant impact on the country. Before 1960, Tanzania was the leading producer of Sisal. In the 1960's, Brazil became the leading producer of Sisal. Currently, they exports 125,000 tons of the sisal fiber each year. Historically, sisal fibers are used to make sacks and mariner rope.