Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Seeds from native plants were a rich food source in the Americas, but the two that were first produced on a large scale in the Old World were the sunflower and peanut. The sunflower (girasol or maravilla in Spanish) (Helianthus annus) was grown in Tabasco, in northern Mexico, around 4500 years ago. The Aztecs called it chimalxochitl, meaning “ring flower” or “shield”. From there the sunflower spread into southern and western North America. Its seeds were used to make flour, oil and pigments, besides being valued for its medicinal properties. The sunflower was also revered for its association with the Aztec and Otomi sun gods, probably owing to its large, heliotropic blossom. Returning Spanish colonists brought the sunflower back to Europe, where it was mainly an ornamental variety that was called by names that evoked the beauty of the West Indies: “sunflower”, “flower of the Indies” and “mirasol”. It was not until the 18th Century in Russia that sunflowers were grown on a large scale for human consumption (both the seeds and their oil) and as forage for animals. Today, the “pipas”, as the toasted seeds are called, are still considered a traditional snack food in the United States and across much of Europe.