Origin of Cocoa

The origins of the cacao tree (theobroma cacao) are not
known with certainty.
Its spread is believed to have started from the Orinoco or Amazon River basin, extending to southeastern Mexico.
Others think the opposite happened: from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon River basin.

THE FIRST EVIDENCES OF ITS HUMAN USE ARE FOUND IN MEXICAN TERRITORY.

Cornell and California University Studies
confirm that most likely the consumption of cocoa began around 1,500 BC.
According to ceramic samples found in Belize.
The drink is thought to have been popularized in
Mesoamerica by the Olmecs.

At first, the consumption of cocoa was part of a ritual, and it seems to have been in the form of a kind of "beer"; that is, a drink based on the fermentation of the fruit pulp. Later, the Olmecs, Mayans and Mexica (among other Mesoamerican civilizations) began to consume chocolate derived from the paste of the grains mixed with corn flour, chili peppers and honey.

According to Mayan mythology, Kukulkán gave cocoa to the Mayans after the creation of mankind. Centuries after the Mayans, the Mexicas (Aztecs) continued the taste for Mayan chocolha.

It is known that the emperor Montezuma liked to drink a cup of it diluted in water.

For its preparation, seeds were roasted and then crushed to make a paste that was later mixed with water. This mixture was heated until the cocoa butter or fat rose to the surface.

The foam was removed and then mixed again. Finally, it was stirred vigorously to form a liquid with a consistent foam that was drunk cold.

To this basic preparation, chili, achiote, vanilla and honey were added as sweetener and corn flour to absorb the cocoa butter. The result was a highly energetic but also very bitter and spicy drink.

In the Mesoamerican region, cocoa beans were so highly appreciated that they were used as currency for the commerce of the time, being one of the products that was used to pay the tribute to the "Tlatoani"