The Amaranth plant is native to South and North America. It was once a staple and the preferred grain of the highly civilized Aztec, Inca and Maya civilizations.
Hermando Cortes was disturbed by the possible association of amaranth with the practice of human sacrifice among the Aztecs. He outlawed the broad-leafed amaranth grain plant and made its use by the native Indians punishable by death.
On religious holidays, Aztec women ground the seed, mixed it with honey or human blood, and then shaped it into idols that were eaten ceremoniously. To the Spanish catholic fathers this looked like an apostate form of the catholic religion, so they decided the way to get rid of the sacrifices was to get rid of the amaranth. The fact that the Indians were strong and healthy because they were eating the amaranth plant and amaranth seed was likely a key factor in their decision to outlaw the use of amaranth by the natives.
Basically, the Spanish took the highly nutritious amaranth plant, and for social and religious reasons, they tried to obliterate it. It was replaced with wheat, which was not native to this area and which was hard to grow. It was only after the great plains of the United States and parts of Argentina were opened up to agriculture that wheat gained a foothold on this continent. Wheat did not grow well in the sub tropics and so the nutritional levels of protein dropped drastically among of the peoples of the area. A once healthy vigorous people became less healthy, captured and much easier to control.
If not for pockets of cultivation in remote sections of the Andes and Mexico, the amaranth plant might have met the same fate as the dodo bird, which is now extinct.
Amaranth was also used by most of the North American Indian tribes. The Indians would plant the amaranth seed wherever they moved and later harvest it when they came back. The seeds are hard and would last in the ground until the proper growing conditions were present. Many of the seeds would last for hundreds of years, so it is even now easy to tell where the Indian camps were because of the growth of the indigenous amaranth plants.
There are many amaranth plant varieties and they are able to grow in just about any soil and moisture condition. Amaranth plants range from small plants a little over 18 inches tall to eight feet tall under the right conditions.
Amaranth is a seed, not a grain. The amaranth seed is a more balanced protein than wheat, soy, corn or rice. It is also alkaline and can be used in a variety of food products like energy bars, cereals, and juices. Amaranth is a powerful protein, yet mild in taste.
One amaranth seed produces up to 60,000 new seeds. Not only did it provide food for the Indians but became the basis of a balanced eco system that allowed animals of all types to flourish. Some of the seeds have stayed in the ground for over 400 years and sprout when exposed to light and moisture.
