Chia, an increasingly popular Mesoamerican crop, is studied to elucidate its history, current abundance, and past distribution. Paleobotanical remains from archaeological excavations, and the current distribution of wild chia populations are analyzed using ecological niche and paleo-distribution models, then correlated with ancient settlements and historical records. Salvia hispanica, attributed to divine origins, was of great importance as a staple food in pre-Hispanic cultures. After the Spanish conquest, chia’s importance remained, although not as thoroughly recorded as other sources of wealth. Despite its documented religious/political importance to indigenous people until the eighteenth century, two trends are documented: fading cultural memory regarding chia among the P’urhépecha, one of the ancient cultures, vs. Acatic, Jalisco management whose genetic breeding programs are the source of cultivated varieties resulting in millions of revenues. Archaeological records dated to 1750 for chia nutlets, 4450–3950, and 11,000 YBP as Salvia spp., macrorests, and pollen, respectively. Paleo-distribution ecological niche models suggest a narrower potential range of suitability for wild chia during the mid-Holocene than current, overlapping with mid-Formative settlements. The archaeological presence of chia is more recent than previously hypothesized. Still, given the societal context and cultivar accompaniment, future studies could place it among the oldest domesticates of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition.