This Ancient Grain Fed Empires. Now It's Classified as a Weed. скачать в хорошем качестве

This Ancient Grain Fed Empires. Now It's Classified as a Weed.

In 1519, Hernán Cortés walked through the markets of Tenochtitlan and encountered a tiny golden seed that would change agricultural history. This grain was so powerful, so essential to the Aztec Empire, that Cortés eventually banned it on penalty of death—not because it was dangerous, but because it was simply too important. This is the story of amaranth. Archaeologists have identified amaranth as the oldest cultivated crop in the Americas, with evidence dating back to 4000 BCE. By the height of the Aztec Empire, it provided roughly one-third of the population's diet. Twenty thousand tons flowed into Tenochtitlan annually as mandatory tribute from seventeen provinces. Alongside corn and beans, amaranth formed the nutritional foundation of Central American civilization. But amaranth was more than food—it was sacred. During religious ceremonies, priests mixed the seeds with honey and human blood to form statues of their sun god Huitzilopochtli. Worshippers then consumed pieces as sacred communion. When Spanish priests witnessed this ritual, they saw a twisted mockery of the Eucharist. If Indigenous peoples kept their connection to amaranth, they'd keep their connection to their gods, their culture, their identity. What followed was one of history's most deliberate attempts to erase a food crop. Cortés outlawed amaranth cultivation. In 1540, authorities burned over ten thousand hectares of fields. Farmers faced mutilation or execution for planting it. But in radical acts of unrecorded courage, Indigenous farmers hid tiny plots in remote mountain communities above 2,500 meters, passing seeds down like forbidden heirlooms. The grain survived—for five hundred years, it survived. Here's where the story gets strange. That same grain is now classified as one of America's most dangerous weeds. Palmer amaranth, a close relative, has been designated a "Prohibited Eradicate" noxious weed in multiple states. In 2017, the Weed Science Society named it "King of Weeds." It can grow 2-3 inches daily. A single plant produces over a million seeds. It causes yield losses up to 91% in corn. One specialist's assessment: "Palmer amaranth is the only weed that can drive a farmer out of business." Worse, it's evolved resistance to virtually every herbicide—ALS inhibitors, triazines, glyphosate, 2,4-D, dicamba. The plant that survived five centuries of persecution now survives our most sophisticated agricultural weapons. The tragic irony? Amaranth is a nutritional powerhouse. It contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a rare complete plant protein. It has twice wheat's iron and nearly six times the calcium. NASA incorporated it into shuttle missions for its extraordinary nutrient density. It's drought-resistant, thrives in poor soil, and uses water efficiently. In a world facing climate change, these traits could be essential for human survival. American farmers spend an estimated $2 billion annually on herbicides targeting amaranth. We're simultaneously searching for drought-resistant, nutrient-dense crops while poisoning a plant that already has these qualities. A quiet revival has begun. In Oaxaca, traditional alegría candy—meaning "joy"—symbolizes cultural reclamation. Development organizations are reintroducing cultivation to combat malnutrition. The seeds Indigenous farmers protected at risk of death are finally returning. The conquistadors tried to erase amaranth. They failed. The question now: will we repeat their error, or recognize the treasure growing in our fields? The seeds are already there, scattered across millions of acres, waiting to be harvested rather than destroyed. 📚 SOURCES: Yadav, A., & Yadav, K. (2024). "From humble beginnings to nutritional powerhouse: the rise of amaranth as a climate-resilient superfood." Tropical Plants, 3, e037. Gonçalves-Dias, J., et al. (2025). "Assessing and mining grain amaranth diversity for sustainable cropping systems." PMC/National Center for Biotechnology Information. Ward, S.M., Webster, T.M., & Steckel, L.E. (2013). "Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri): a review." Weed Technology, 27(1), 12-27. Jamil, U., Alrayes, L., Pearce, J.M., & Thomas, R. (2025). "Climate-Resilient Crop Production Under Agrivoltaics: Experimental Evaluation of Amaranth Production With Semi-Transparent Photovoltaic Modules in Canada Under Changing Climates." Sustainable Development. Culpepper, A.S., Grey, T.L., Vencill, W.K., et al. (2006). "Glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) confirmed in Georgia." Weed Science, 54(4), 620-626. Rastogi, A., & Shukla, S. (2013). "Amaranth: A New Millennium Crop of Nutraceutical Values." Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 53(2), 109-125. Caselato-Sousa, V.M., & Amaya-Farfán, J. (2012). "State of Knowledge on Amaranth Grain: A Comprehensive Review." Journal of Food Science, 77(4), R93-R104. USDA APHIS (2020). "Weed Risk Assessment for Amaranthus palmeri (Palmer's amaranth)." United States Department of Agriculture.