A Tasty Chocolate Timeline!
The word ‘chocolate’ is derived form the ancient Nahuatl language of the Mexican Aztecs, combining the words for ‘bitter’ and ‘water’ to make xocolatl. This name was formed because, long before Nestle developed its powdered form in a can, the ancient Aztecs were drinking hot chocolate in 1200 AD. But even before that, the Mayans had their own chocolate fetish…
2000 BC: the cocoa bean, from which chocolate is made, is reported to have originated in the Amazon.
600 AD: the Mayans migrate to South America and establish the earliest known cocoa plantations in the Yucatan, though they may have been familiar with the plant several centuries earlier – chocolate residue from an ancient Maya pot suggests they were drinking chocolate at this time.
There also appears to be evidence that the Mayans believed several of their goddesses functioned as guardians of cocoa, and would perform annual human sacrifices for these goddesses – ironically, giving the victim cocoa as his final meal.
1200 AD: the Aztecs attributed the creation of the cocoa plant to the god Quetzacoatl, who stole a cocoa tree from Paradise and traveled to earth with it on a beam of the Morning Star. The Aztecs believed their ancestors then learned how to roast and grind the cocoa beans, creating a paste that could be mixed with water to create a bitter drink. This drink allegedly brought wisdom and knowledge to the drinker.
The Aztecs also believed that this drink could fight fatigue, which can likely be attributed to the theobromine content. The Aztec emperor Montezuma allegedly drank his chocolate dyed red, and it was served in golden goblets that were thrown away after only one use!
Cocoa beans were also used for currency; after subjugating other tribes, the Aztecs would demand their tribute payment in cocoa beans. Records from 1200 AD provide a list of the annual payments being made to the Aztecs – and by this time, payments were coming from nearly all the tribes in Mexico.
It was not until the early 1500s that chocolate, in its sweetened form, became known to the general public… and so, chocolate mania spread across Europe!
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Tomorrow: Toltec child sacrifice?
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