Chocolate History: Chocolate: A gift from God

We know that one of the succeeding civilizations in that area, the Maya, drank cacao drinks and cultivated the chocolate tree on their vast plantations in the Chontalpa region, a region today known as eastern Tabasco .

They attributed the beans special and magical powers and the cocoa bean become closely linked to their religious beliefs. Mayan merchants often used cocoa beans as a currency and transported them by canoe or in big baskets strapped to their backs. According to the historians, 10 cocoa beans could be used to by a turkey and 100 beans to buy a slave. Wealthy merchants begun to export the beans by hiring porters and the beans were spread far from the Mayan centre. Some merchants even sent their cargos as far as into Mexico where the Aztecs lived; usually very successful ventures since the Aztecs, once they had been introduced to the bean, regarded it very highly and was willing to pay dearly for it.

The Aztecs and Mayas used cocoa mainly in beverages. The white pulp surrounding the seeds of the coca pod was turned into wine, while the beans were used in hot or cold chocolate drinks called xocoatl . The word xocoatl means “bitter water” in the Aztec language and, as you have probably figured out by know, the English word chocolate is phonetically derived from Xocoatl. The word cocoa is also of Aztec origin. It is derived from the Mexican word cachuatl which comes from the Aztec word cacahuazintl. Cacahuazintl was the Aztec name for the fruit or pod of the cocoa tree. When the Aztecs and Mayans enjoyed their xocoatl the cocoa beans were first roasted, before a foaming agent called sugir was added together with toasted corn and water. Vanilla, honey, chili, achiote (also known as annatto) and pimento were popular ingredients to flavor the drink with.

Today cocoa drinks are usually considered very down to earth, something you give your children every morning before sending them of to school. In the days of the Aztecs, however, cocoa beans played a prominent part in the religious life of the people. The Aztecs associated chocolate with their goddess of fertility, Xochiquetzal. The cocoa bean was considered a gift from the gods and the coca tree a bridge between heaven and earth. By consuming chocolate, a human was able to share some of Quetzalcoatls wisdom, and Quetxalcoatl was the god of wisdom and learning. When performing human sacrifices to the gods or the sun, the chosen one was given chocolate to drink in order to sanctify him before the killing. Cocoa beans were also used at the various come of age ceremonies for the Aztec children. When two Aztecs got married, they enjoyed a symbolic cup of chocolate together and gave each other cocoa beans. Perhaps chocolate was considered a gift of love even back then? According to legend, Montezuma, ruler of the Aztecs, considered chocolate to be an aphrodisiac and always consumed it before visiting his harem. The Aztecs regarded the cocoa bean so highly, that they forced people ruled by the Aztecs to pay tributes and taxes in cocoa beans. The coca bean had, however, also more mundane abilities. For example, the coca butter was used to protect the skin from sunburn.

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