For those of you who are unaware of the history of chia, this superfood has had an incredible journey. The name “chia” is derived from the Aztec word “chian.” It was the third most important crop for the Aztecs, after corn and beans. Not only did they use it as a food, they used it for medicinal purposes, in their religious ceremonies, and even fed it to their animals. They grew a number of different types of chia and utilized each for its specific properties.

After the Spanish conquest, chia was virtually lost. According to research done by Dr. Coates, it appears that chia was essentially outlawed by Spanish friars, as it had been used in Aztec religious ceremonies as an offering to the gods. Also, since chia couldn’t be grown in Europe, the Spanish considered it to be of no value.

Chia survived only because a few people took the seed into the mountains, where they continued to grow it for personal use. Chia was rediscovered by Dr. Coates after working on a project in Argentina that involved looking for alternative crops for farmers. Chia was one of several seeds planted in test plots. After Dr. Coates and his research team found that chia grew well, they went on to produce it commercially, market it, and educate people on chia’s health benefits.

If you haven’t incorporated chia into your diet yet, you should consider buying from AZChia today! Chia has many incredible health benefits that you really don’t want to miss out on!