The story of chia begins with the "floating gardens" of the city of Tenochtitlan. The shallow lakes around the city had nutrient rich soil under the water. To access this fertile soil, workers would drive juniper posts into the lake bed. They would then weave canes around the posts, creating a 'fenced in' area. The soil from the lake bed was dredged up and dumped into the would-be island. Willow trees were planted around the islands to give them stability.
The islands were property of the emperor and on them was grown the sacred chia seed. This seed was thought about divine and was not shared with the populace. Instead it was hoarded by the emperor for personal use.
Inevitably, some chia was smuggled out from under the emperors nose and, in time, chia became the most widely cultivated crop in Mexico second only to maize.
The antique Aztecs used chia in a estimate of ways. It was toasted and eaten as a snack. It was mixed with water and used as an power drink for sporting and hunting activities. It was offered to the Deity Chicome Coatl who was the 'maker and giver'. It's oil was pressed and used as a varnish.
Chia became so widely appreciated that its status soon became elevated to a vital commodity. Chia was traded for other vital goods. It was used as currency, to pay taxes and as an aphrodisiac. It was also buried along with the dead so that they would have an contribution to appease the gods.
Chia became such a part of the way of live in antique Mexico that the contemporary state of Chiapas derives it's name from the sacred plant.
While the Spanish were busy conquering the Aztecs, Father Bernardino de Sahagun was busy documenting the Aztec way of life in an graphic manuscript called the Florentine Codex. He made note of chia and how it was used in everyday Aztec life. It was eaten in a wide variety of ways, given to women in labour to aid in delivery and as a remedy for ailments.
There's an curious story that catapulted chia seed from obscurity to contemporary scrutiny. Ciraldo Chacarito, a Tarahumara native entered an endurance foot race in 1997. Wearing a pair of homemade sandals he obliterated most of the competition to cease within the top ten. His competitors, top athletes from around the world with state of the art footwear were amazed at his results. How did he do it? He attributed his drive and endurance to a diet consisting mainly of chia. The next year, using chia to help his training, he came back and won the race.
Athletes around the world are turning to chia as the best natural source of energy, endurance and stamina. Chia is unmatched in its ability to vocalize hydration, contribute electrolytes and boost recovery.
Chia has been used medicinally as well. Willis Linn Jepson said "an infusion of the seeds was valued by the mission fathers as a remedy for fevers; the seeds also furnished 'the finest poultice for gunshot wounds...' Lol! Keep that in mind for the next time you get shot.
In James F. Scheer's fabulous book, The Magic of Chia, James tells a story of a man who looked to be fifty years old when in fact he was seventy two. He attributed his longevity to a diet consisting mainly of chia, brewers yeast, desiccated liver, yogurt and other natural foods.
James tells another anecdote: A man is driving down a dirt road in Mexico and pulls up alongside a native who is running. He asks him if he'd like a ride. "No thanks," the native replies, "I'm in a hurry."
Harrison Doyle, author of two books, 'Golden Chia' and 'Harrison Doyle at 100: How I Sustained My Vital electric Life Force' lived to be at least 102 years old. He also attributed his longevity to chia. He spent time living with the native Americans of southern California. Remember 'Last of the Mohican's? Harrison was there. He witnessed first hand the natives using only chia seed and water for endurance running. The tribesmen would fill pouches with seed and take only that and water to run distances of three hundred miles to trade copper and turquoise, arrowheads and ochre paint. Like the scene from the movie, when hunting, the natives would chase deer for hours, tiring the animals out, fuelled by chia.
During the transformation from boyhood to manhood, the tribesmen would smear chia gel in their armpits and sleep the night with their arms tied to their sides. The chia would cleanse the pores reducing body odour to a minimum. The purpose of this wasn't to impress the girls but rather to not frighted off the deer with a strong human scent.
Doyle tells a story about the Ivah tribe who lived in a small village. One year there was a drought and the neighbouring Temucala indians came to fight them for their chia crops. Outnumbered and cornered, the Ivah's were murdered to a man in an area now known as Massacre Canyon. The moral of the story: share your chia.
A Story of How Chia Seed Caused Betrayal, Contraband Smuggling and a MassacreWireless Printer Scanner Copier Hydraulic Pressure Sensor Air Pressure Sensor