The salt farmers of Peru value their salt ponds for good reason. Their home has been mined for salt since before the Incas ruled there. That was way back in the 1400s and 1500s! 

Today, the ponds look like brown, tan, and white patchwork quilts along the hillsides. A family can sell a salt pond only to another resident of the villages. This keeps salt production passing through the generations. Peruvians might get more money by selling to outsiders. But it matters more to them to keep their land for future generations.

 Speaking of money—Did you know that salt once was money? Romans sometimes paid soldiers in salt. That’s where we get the word “salary.” In ancient Greece, slaves were bought with salt. People said a lazy slave was “not worth his salt.” We still use that phrase today. 

Marco Polo brought home tales of salt coins in Asia. Africans used slabs of rock salt as currency too. 

Salt adds flavor. Plus, every person and animal on the planet needs salt to survive. Salt’s minerals have healing properties too. Several ancient Chinese books list salt as a medicine. People also use salt to preserve food. It slows decay.

Salt is plentiful on Earth. But not every place has the same amount. The Peru salt farmers are rich in the mineral!

Salt All over the Bible

Salt is vital to life. And you’ll find references to salt sprinkled through the whole Bible. Salt was used in Old Testament worship. Read Exodus 30:35, Leviticus 2:13, and Ezekiel 43:24. Salt can also make things pure. Elisha used salt to “heal” the water of Jericho. (2 Kings 2:19-22) Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:13 that His disciples are “the salt of the Earth.” That means they help preserve goodness in the world.

Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other. — Mark 9:50