A History of Cacao: Ancient Tradition to Modern Ritual

For over 5,000 years Cacao has been revered as a sacred plant. Since first emerging out of the Amazon rainforest into ancient Peru and Ecuador, Cacao has woven itself into the tapestry of human history - from deep-rooted symbology in ancient Mesoamerica to a now global industry.

Here we dive into the history and transformation of Cacao from a sacred elixir to a modern day commodity, and explore the revival and contemporary expression of an ancient tradition with ceremonial-grade Cacao.

Unearthing the Origin of Cacao

The domestication and use of Cacao as a drink for both physical and spiritual health traces its origins over 5,000 years ago to the ancient Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón culture which flourished in the area of what is now northern Peru and southern Ecuador. The magnificent archeological site of Huaca Montegrande is one of the earliest temples to have found evidence of Cacao in drinking form.[1] From here, it is thought that Cacao spread north throughout Mesoamerica via coastal trade routes where it became an important and symbolic plant for many ancient cultures in this region such as the Mokaya, Olmec, Maya, Toltec and Aztec.

Huaca Montegrande, where the oldest cacao has been found. Source: inboundperu.com

The Olmec Influence on Cacao

The Olmecs were the earliest known major civilisation to have flourished in Mesoamerica beginning around 3500 years ago in southern Mexico. Although there aren’t any documented writings from Olmec culture, chemical analysis has found evidence of Cacao in ceramic drinking vessels scattered throughout Olmec archeological sites.[2] The word Cacao is also believed to have emerged from the Olmec word ‘Kakawa’,[3] which along with the process of making Cacao into a drink, would eventually spread to influence other emerging cultures and civilisations of Mesoamerica.[4]

Cacao in Maya & Aztec Civilisation

The Maya and Aztecs derived a number of cultural customs from their Olmec predecessors, the connection to Cacao being one of them. For both the Mayan and Aztec people, Cacao was deeply symbolic and part of who they were, reflected in their creation stories and everyday way of life. Both cultures believed in a strong connection between Cacao, blood and the heart.

The Maya were the next major civilisation to thrive after the Olmecs, and had extensive documentation of Cacao in their hieroglyphic records and illustrative depictions of the plant. While the earliest Mayan written records were destroyed after the Spanish Conquest, chemical analysis of ancient vessels have shown that Cacao was being consumed as a beverage by the early Maya around 2600 years ago, before the flourishing of their civilisation.[5]

Mayan vessel portraying birth of the cacao tree. Source: Yosi Pozeilov / unframed.lacma.org

Cacao was intertwined with Mayan cosmology, considered a gift from the Gods and a bridge between worlds. Having such a divine connection, chocolate drinks were favoured by and reserved for the elite and royalty in early Mayan society. However recent research suggests that Cacao was likely accessible and enjoyed by all classes during the late period of Mayan civilisation.[6]

Cacao beans were a highly prized commodity for merchants, who traded between themselves and with other Mesoamerican cultures. The beans eventually became a form of currency for purchasing goods in both Maya and the later Aztec civilisation.

Within Aztec civilisation, the consumption of Cacao was intertwined with notions of strength and courage. According to legend, Montezuma II (the final Aztec Emperor) was observed to have drunk 50 cups of liquid chocolate per day to boost his vigor and vitality. Aztec warriors were given Cacao drinks before battle due to its stimulating properties and there was a common association between Cacao, blood and the heart. In fact, the Aztecs occasionally referred to Cacao as “yollotl, eztli” in the common language of Nahuatl, which was a term that quite literally translates to “heart blood”.[4] We can’t help but wonder if this connection between Cacao and the heart was in part due to the increase in blood flow and cardiovascular strength that was observed when consuming Cacao.

Ancient Cacao Rituals and Recipes

While the specific details of ancient rituals and ceremonies involving Cacao are not well known, we do know that Cacao beverages were consumed or at least offered to the gods during special gatherings and social events, celebrations, births, marriages, burials, fertility rites, and in certain circumstances as part of sacrificial rituals.[7]

There was no one recipe followed to make this ancient liquid chocolate - it was enjoyed in a myriad of ways, both hot and cold, mixed with maize and various spices such as vanilla, chiles, native flowers and more. One of the most important aspects of making Cacao drinks was the creation of a layer of foam, which was a prized component of drinking pure chocolate. This was created by using whisks or pouring the chocolate liquid from one vessel to another.[4]

Ceremonial metate used for grinding things like maize and cacao. Source: metmuseum.org

Spanish Conquest & Chocolate in Europe

Following the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica in the 16th century, the Cacao bean and drinking chocolate was brought back to Spain and eventually spread throughout Europe, stripped of its spiritual significance and consumed purely for its taste, sustenance and stimulating effects. Initially, the Spanish despised the chocolate drink made from Cacao, considering it disgustingly bitter. Over the time of their conquest, the Spanish embraced Cacao and liquid chocolate out of necessity by adding imported cane sugar and spices that they were so accustomed to. It was this version of Cacao, sweetened with sugar and drunk hot that made its way back to Europe and became popular as a drink for royalty and high profile citizens. Cacao would continue to undergo various forms of processing to make it more appealing and convenient as a drink for the wider European market and more profitable for those that were selling it.

The First Modern Chocolate Bar

Up until the 19th century, chocolate had been consumed throughout history predominantly as a drink. The industrial revolution changed that, with the creation of the first modern chocolate bar alongside further refinements to drinking chocolate. Chocolate making became a large-scale, autonomous and standardised operation, with a disregard for the nuance of flavours in Cacao and a sole focus on creating a consistent end product to further increase profitability and accessibility to a global mass-market.

The first industrial chocolate bar produced by Joseph Fry in 1847. Source: bytesdaily.com.au

Mass Produced Chocolate

Ultimately, this has led to the production of highly processed chocolate and cocoa products that have been stripped of their nutritional value and bear little resemblance to the pure forms of chocolate that originated in South and Central America. Today, over 70% of the world’s Cacao is now produced in West Africa, after it was introduced there in the 1800s. While the increased demand for Cacao worldwide has created opportunities for many growers and producers, the nature of industrial capitalism requires that businesses maximise profit and growth and keep the cost of raw materials and labor as low as possible. The sad reality of the chocolate industry is that it has been built on the back of slave labour, deforestation and a complete disregard for the welfare of the people and ecosystems in which it is grown.

Craft Chocolate Movement

The craft chocolate movement, beginning in the late 1990s played an important role in bringing more awareness to the Cacao industry in general. Craft chocolate is somewhat of a return to traditional chocolate making before the industrial revolution, focusing on the art and craft of the process and small batch production. True craft chocolate is higher in quality, better in flavour, traceable to farms and respects the place of origin, people who grow the Cacao and the preservation of biodiversity, compared to mass produced, industrial chocolate.[8]

Ceremonial-Grade Cacao

Ceremonial Cacao is somewhat of an evolution of the craft chocolate movement, distinguished in the way we engage with and relate to the plant. Ceremonial-grade Cacao is intended to be consumed as a drink, and is a contemporary nod to the ancient ways of drinking pure chocolate. At the heart of it all, Ceremonial Cacao is an invitation to slow down, get grounded in gratitude, and mindfully connect to presence and purpose in our daily life. For some people, that may look like drinking Cacao each morning as a coffee replacement, or before a workout or in a daily smoothie. And for others, drinking ceremonial-grade Cacao offers an opportunity to form a deeper relationship with Cacao itself - acknowledging the plant as a guide, companion and ally who we can learn from and who can support us in expressing ourselves more fully. Whatever the motivation to drink ceremonial-grade Cacao, intention is a key aspect. Being intentional with our consumption of Cacao connects us deeper to nature and to ourselves.

From a production standpoint, creating ceremonial-grade Cacao is closest to the ancient methods of making chocolate, grinding whole heirloom Cacao beans to create a paste of pure 100% dark chocolate - nothing added or removed. Ceremonial-grade Cacao does away with modern chocolate-making techniques such as conching and tempering, in order to create a minimally processed end product that resembles the whole food state of the lightly roasted Cacao bean. True ceremonial-grade Cacao adopts the highest standards of sourcing quality, heirloom cacao beans through a direct trade relationship with the co-ops or farmers that grow the cacao, leading to higher wages and and more environmentally friendly farming practices.

We believe that the most sustainable chocolate has the shortest supply chain, which is why our blocks of ceremonial-grade cacao are made entirely within Peru by the growers and their community. This keeps more money in the local economy and allows for fewer touch points to preserve the artisanal and energetic qualities of the cacao.

References

1. Inbound Peru. (2022, March 11). The world will get to know Huaca Montegrande, where history’s oldest cacao was found. Inbound Peru. https://inboundperu.com/2022/03/11/the-world-will-get-to-know-huaca-montegrande-where-historys-oldest-cacao-was-found/8644/
2. Powis, T. G., Cyphers, A., Gaikwad, N. W., Grivetti, L. E., & Cheong, K. (2011). Cacao use and the San Lorenzo Olmec. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(21), 8595–8600. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1100620108
3. Kaufman, T., & Justeson, J. S. (2007). The history of the word for cacao in ancient Mesoamerica. Ancient Mesoamerica, 18(2), 193–237. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0956536107000211
4. Coe, S. D., & Coe, M. D. (2013). The true history of chocolate (3rd ed.). Thames & Hudson.
5. Hurst, W. J., Tarka, S. M., Powis, T. G., Valdez, F., & Hester, T. R. (2002). Cacao usage by the earliest Maya civilization. Nature, 418(6895), 289–290. https://doi.org/10.1038/418289a
6. Ford, A., Williams, A., & De Vries, M. S. (2022). New light on the use of Theobroma cacao by Late Classic Maya. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(40). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121821119
7. McNeil, C. L. (2006). Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao. https://doi.org/10.5744/florida/9780813029535.001.0001
8. Brennan, J. (2023). What is Craft Chocolate? Pump Street Chocolate. https://pumpstreetchocolate.com/blogs/news/what-is-craft-chocolate#craft-chocolate-our-definition