The rituals were horrific. The value of chocolate as a commodity reached new heights under the Aztec Empire. Not only was chocolate used for ritual purposes but it was avidly used for medicinal reasons as well. They bathed every day and believed that a hot bath could cure sickness. This indicates the presence of a liquid having been stored. Tenochtitlan was a busy place for trade. They had social classes, central places of worship, and developed trade with other regions. Like the Mayans, they enjoyed the caffeinated kick of hot or cold, spiced chocolate beverages in ornate containers, but they also used cacao beans as currency to buy food and other goods. The Aztecs valued the cacao bean as well, and demanded it be a part of tribute. Before a meal, servants presented fragrant tobacco tubes and sometimes also flowers with which the guests could rub their head, hands, and neck. The Maya, Toltec, and Aztec people started cultivating the fruit of the cacao tree more than 3,000 years ago. Part of this process was a feast of tamales, chocolate, and sauces. It was consumed at every meal by all social classes, and played a central role in Aztec mythology. The gods also provided maize, fruits and other desired foods. Chocolate could be prepared in a huge variety of ways and most of them involved mixing hot or tepid water with toasted and ground cacao beans, maize and any number of flavorers such as chili, honey, vanilla and a wide variety of spices. The most important gods in Aztec culture were Huitzilopochtli (god of war and sun) and Tlaloc (god of rain). 1990). Their civilization was only one chapter in the story of this amazing fruit. Before the arrival of Hernan Cortes in 1519, Montezuma and his people saw several ominous signs: A comet streaked through the night sky, and a temple went up in flames. These beautifully painted cups could be made of hollowed-out gourds, earthenware, or even gold, depending on the drinkers status. Some, like chili and vanilla are familiar to us, while others seem really weird: would you want to drink hot cocoa mized with liquid rubber and potentially hallucinogenic magnolias? Journal of the American Academy of Religion 63 (3): 42963. Notice the copper axe blades on the left. The History of Chocolate: From The Olmecs To The Aztecs Sahagun provides a list of the different types of tlaquetzalli, a chocolate drink served to Aztec lords: The ruler was served his chocolate, with which he finished [his repast] - green, made of tender cacao; honeyed chocolate made with ground-up dried flowers - with green vanilla pods; bright red chocolate; orange-colored chocolate; rose-colored chocolate; black chocolate; white chocolate. It came in varieties that differed in color, texture, size and prestige, and was eaten as corn tortillas, tamales or tlli, maize gruel. Maize was revered to such an extent that women blew on maize before putting it into the cooking pot so that it would not fear the fire, and any maize that was dropped on the ground was picked up rather than being wasted. Aztecs viewed human sacrifice as repayment for the sacrifices gods made in creating a good harvest or the sun/rain. Chocolate and the Aztecs | HowStuffWorks Aztec people were separated by many social strata, the most important of which were the upper-class nobility (known as pilli) and the lower-class (known as macehualli). Spain and Portugal kept it hidden from the rest of the world and at first only used it for medicinal purposes but the allure soon caught on. Chocolate was a status symbol, consumed by nobles and wealthy merchants. The fasting was done, according to Sahagun, "for the deer, so that it would be a successful hunt. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. The products of these hunts would then be turned over to priests, who cooked them in large fire flies. Its popularity only increased and chocolate manufacturing companies like Hersheys, Frys and Cadburys began opening around the globe to satisfy the peoples need for chocolate. It is even said that cocoa-based drinks made with the blood washed off a sacrificial knife could be given to sacrificial victims to bind them to their fate! Chocolate played an important political, spiritual and economic role in ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, . tle ([atoli]), maize gruel, accounted for a considerable amount of the daily calorie intake. Word spread of this battle, so Montezuma had one more reason to fear Cortes. Squash seeds, fresh, dried or roasted, were especially popular. Chocolate-drinking spread through to different sectors of society, although it remained an indicator of prestige. The process transforms maize from a simple source of carbohydrates into a considerably more complete nutritional package; it increases the amount of calcium, iron, copper, zinc that are added through the alkalide or the vessel used in the process and niacin, riboflavin and more protein already present in the corn that is not digestible to humans are made available through the process.[24]. They may also have been fermented or toasted. A Brief History Of Chocolate In Mexico - Culture Trip What do Mesoamerican civilizations have in common? The Spanish, who prepared the chocolate drink for their own pleasure, did so quite differently from the ancient Mesoamericans and without the knowledge of the rest of Europe. Nixtamal was placed on top of the metate and the mano, effectively a rough cylindrical stone, was rolled over it, grinding the nixtamal. How Did The Aztec Use Chocolate? - ScienceAlert.quest The Spaniards and Aztecs fought bloody battles including "The Night of Tears" where thousands of Aztecs were killed and about a thousand Spaniards as well. One need only look at the heart-shaped box of chocolates received on Valentines Day or the chocolate Easter egg found during a yearly egg-hunt to understand its importance in society today. A great number of herbs and spices were available to the Aztecs in seasoning food. But, their empire was dominant and their passion for the cacao bean was unprecedented. European authors and chroniclers were often impressed by what they perceived as exemplary frugality, simplicity and moderation. Aztec Food & Agriculture - World History Encyclopedia The temazcal was the first-ever sweat lodge, utilized by many cultures in Mesoamerica. When the Spanish arrived in modern-day Mexico, they were offered cocoa-based drinks. ", During festivals in honor of Chicomecoatl, there would be a drastic back and forth of gorging and fasting. Once fermentation is complete, the beans are dried on flat mats left out in the sun for one to two weeks. How Did The Aztec Use Chocolate? Chocolate truffles Cheryl Carlin When most of us hear the word chocolate, we picture a bar, a box of bonbons, or a bunny. Slaves existed but were given the opportunity to work and buy their way out of slavery. He kept a storage room full of beans acquired through trade, tax, and military conquests. They were both considered sacred and were thus regularly offered during ritual practices. To the indigenous peoples, cocoa served a diplomatic purpose. What did the Aztecs use to flavor chocolate? - Heimduo Like the older Olmec culture, the Mayans buried their dead with cocoa, to help them on their journey in the underworld. Other flavorings available included mesquite, vanilla, achiote, epazote, hoja santa, popcorn flower, avocado leaf, and other indigenous plants. Some were an extraction of the heart of a living person. The pre-Spanish Maya baptismal ritual consisted of cacao seeds ground up with flowers and pure water was used to anoint the heads, feet, hands and faces of the children, whole chocolate mixed with corn gruel was offered in special clay pottery to be used during wedding ceremonies (Rissolo per comm. Cowgill, George L. 2001. It was the cacao tree, known to the Aztecs as Xocatl. The ground chocolate was mixed with water and other ingredients such as maize flour and flowers. King Montezuma is reported to have bathed twice a day - undoubtedly while holding a chocolate drink. Served at these feasts was octli (pulque), chocolate, bird, fruit, seeds, and other foods.[7]. The idea of a chocolate treat is far from a modern one. 2002, 289). Your email address will not be published. The Aztecs were not able to grow the cacao tree in Tenochtitlan, so the beans were acquired through trade. Perhaps the most enduring of all was the tradition of chocolate. The Mazatec use the plant in both divination and healing ceremonies, perhaps as the Aztecs did 500 years ago. According to legend, the last Aztec emperor, Montezuma II, relied on a daily dose of chocolatehe reportedly drank gallons of it every dayto revitalize himself. These steps are still followed in todays modern chocolate making cultures, regardless of the technologies available to them. There is doubt as to whether or not the cacao tree is native to Mesoamerica. For the Aztec, too, cacao had deep religious and symbolic meaning. This idea gained limited support from some scholars, but has been shown to be based on unfounded assumptions about eating habits, agriculture and demographics, making it a highly unlikely scenario.[36]. Aztec people were not the first to discover and cultivate this magical fruit. These types of environments are similar to sinkholes and house a damp microenvironment virtually perfect for cacao growth. Aztec feasts were a display of material culture and wealthnotes by Friar Bernardino de Sahagn and Friar Diego Durn describe Aztec feasts as events where "everything was to be created in abundance". The formulation and serving techniques of the chocolate were somewhat different than today. Favored by rulers, warriors and nobles, they were flavored with chili peppers, honey and a long list of spices and herbs. The addition of hot and spicy additives was not palatable to the Spanish consumer and therefore substituted them with sweet additions such as cane sugar, cinnamon, honey and other flavor enhancers. He passed along the details of how to prepare the beans and make the drink. The pods are opened by hand and the pulp and are seeds extracted According to Coe and Coe (1996) the four steps needed to produce the cacao nibs (shelled and de-germed beans) are: fermentation, drying, roasting and winnowing. (1999). By the late 1770s, cacao beans were a major import into American colonies, and were enjoyed by every class. The only surviving written evidence from the Classic era Maya, are the extravagantly decorated vessels which joined the elite in their tombs. After the Maya, the Toltecs rose to power and many Mayan ideas resurfaced. Chocolate with octli. The final drink was a bit like an Aztec latte! Chocolate lessens agitation (Quelus 1730, 51), reduces angina and asthma (Villanueva y Francesconi, 1890, 231 and Hughes 1672, 153-154), reduces cancer (Villanueva y Francesconi, 1890, 239) and has a calming affect (Brillat-Savarin 1825, 100). The Aztec civilization began when the nomadic people known as the Mexica migrated from the North in the 13th century. Funerary feasts were also common among the wealthy class. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: "The History of Chocolate" The beans are roasted at a slightly higher temperature in order to produce cocoa powder. The pods will ripen throughout the year and there are normally two main harvests. Cocoa was part of the birth of humanity, but the cacao tree, which grows in shaded areas, was also associated with death. It eventually became the city of Tenochtitlan which means "Place of the Cactus Fruit". Tortillas, tamales, casseroles and the sauces that went with them were the most common dishes. It began with the sacrifice of captured warriors, the flesh of the sacrificed warriors would be taken to the residence of the Aztec who had captured the warrior. Native species of plants used as seasonings produced flavors similar to Old World spices that often proved to be more easily accessible in cooking after the Spanish conquest. Bauer, Arnold J. Modern and Aztec chocolate share the processes of fermenting, drying, and grinding cocoa beans. As suggested by the residue analysis, as well as iconographic evidence, the elites began frothing the chocolate to create a thick, foamy head using a Spanish invention called a molinillo. Chocolate with vanilla. Noted by Sahagun was: "And the sauce of the tamales was called 'red chilli sauce'. The Aztec, in turn, made offerings of cacao beans to their gods and used the chocolate drink -- which they called cacahuatl, for "cacao water" -- as a ceremonial beverage. The Maya and the Aztecs believed that cacao was discovered by the gods in a mountain and was to be given to the people following their creation. We drink chocolate with big-ear spice. What was this magical gift? Recommended reading: America's First Cuisines, Sophie D. Coe (scholarly resources) Mexico and Central Highland America, Cambridge World History of Food, Kiple & Ornelas Slaves existed but were given the opportunity to work and buy their way out of slavery. This theory has been contested in recent years with the Yucatec Maya Chokol - meaning hot, combined with the Nahuatl Atl - meaning water, suggested as an alternative. 2000). Iconographic and Archaeological Evidence: Chocolate became popular as a drink among the Aztec upper classes, who could afford it. What Are Three Things The Aztecs Are Known For? - FAQS Clear They were known as "those who do penance. Aztec was one of the first cultures where all children went to school. According to one of their myths, the Aztec received cacao when Quetzalcoatl descended from heaven on the beam of a morning star, carrying a cacao tree stolen from paradise. It contained seven cylindrical containers, including a pot with a stirrup handle and screw-on lid. The verb that comes to mind is probably "eat," not "drink," and the. Healing and preventative medicines as well as a tool for administering foul-tasting medicines were the two primary medicinal uses for the chocolate. History of Chocolate: Cocoa Beans & Xocolatl - HISTORY Colha, in northern Belize, has yielded several of these types of drinking vessels. 1990). The Aztec word for chocolate beverage, cacahuatl, is actually thought by some to derive from the Maya word kakaw (from which we get 'cacao')! 2005). According to similar creation stories of both the Aztec and the Maya, the gods discovered the cacao in a mountain named the Mountain of Sustenance (named by the Maya), along with other delectable foods. It is still a favorite among many cultures, societies, elites, royals and everyday people. Dry maize grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater. 18 Great Aztec Achievements and Inventions - InventGEN The goal of this poster is to demonstrate the many ways in which the cacao tree was especially important ritually, medically and spiritually to the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica.. For nearly 3500 years the world has indulged in chocolate; chocolate bars, candy kisses, hot cocoa, chocolate ice-cream and numerous other forms. They broke from the pattern of nomadic communities with farming and building community. Montezumas cousin, Cuauhtmoc, became ruler of the Aztecs. Dry-residue analysis using liquid-chromatography show chocolate use as early as 600BC. Archeologists have different understandings of the timeline of Mesoamerican civilizations. The Aztecs believed that he came to earth from an afternoon star bearing a gift for the Toltec people. Getting intoxicated appeared to have been more tolerated for elderly people; Spanish translations of the Codex Mendoza note that there were specific circumstances that allowed the elderly to get intoxicated: It is shown how, according to the laws and customs of the lose of seventy years of age, man or woman, if such old persons had children or grandchildren. Montezuma-the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan-reigned the Aztec world from 1502 to 1520. It's long been thought that . The use of chocolate began in the New World with the ancient Olmec civilization (1500 BC-500 BC) in Mesoamerican and continued on through the time of the Maya and Aztecs before making its trek across to the Old World in the 16th century. The Aztec Empire dominated in their time. It required such skills and was so important that an Aztec woman destined for sacrifice could avoid her grisly fate if she was sufficiently gifted in chocolate making! Once pollinated, each flower begins to produce a pod with will grow to be about one pound in weight and contain about 40 seeds surrounded by a naturally sweet white pulp. Call us: They attributed its discovery to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. Chocolate in America Chocolate first arrived in Florida on a Spanish ship in 1641, and it's thought the first American chocolate house opened in Boston in 1682. [36], The veintena Tlacaxipehualiztli was one of intense human sacrifice, it was noted by Sahagun that "it was the time when all captives died, all those taken, all those who were made captive, the men, the women, all the children." Chocolate in History: Food, Medicine, Medi-Food - PMC The first European encounter with cacao took place in 1502 on the fourth voyage of Christopher Columbus at Guanaja, a bay island in the Caribbean off the coast of present-day Honduras, where a Maya trading canoe included cacao beans among its cargo. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-0525-9_2. Prophesy of Quetzalcoatls return to earth would play a role demise of the Aztecs. Fermentation is a confusing word choice as the cacao is not fermented into an alcohol, although it could be. Unfortunately, at present, it unknown for certain whether or not these cacao groves occurred naturally or with human assistance. There are multiple important events in Aztec society that called for feasts. Right before dawn singing commenced and offerings were burned and buried in the courtyard to ensure the fortune of the children of the hosts. To this day, you can find a variety of cocoa-based drinks in cocoa-producing areas of Mexico. Some of the valuables that were exchanged include gold, turquoise, cotton, and of course, cacao beans. Chocolate as we know it has only existed for a couple of centuries, but drinking chocolate has a much longer past, stretching back into prehistory! An informant of Sahagn told the sad story of a former tlacateccatl, a general and commander of over 8,000 troops: He drank up all his land; he sold it all Tlacateccatl, a valiant warrior, a great warrior, and a great nobleman, sometimes, somewhere on the road where there was travel, lay fallen, drunk, wallowing in ordure.[27]. It could also be refreshing, spicy, salty, or inebriating. Each 20-day veintena was a full and complex festival made up of ceremonies dedicated to specific gods and deities of the current veintena. It could also be used to steam food by pouring a little water into the xoctli and then placing tamales wrapped in maize husks on a light structure of twigs in the middle of the pot.[9]. 2000, 2062s). Gift of the Gods: Chocolate in the Aztec Empire - Cocoa Runners Feasts were organized to the point of ritual, there were roles and relationships displayed and reinforced. The inhibited growth of certain mycotoxins (toxic fungi) is another benefit of nixtamalization. Those partaking in the mushroom ceremonies would fast before ingesting the sacrament. 2000 and Coe & Coe 1996). Spouted vessels are a rare elite drinking vessel of the Preclassic Maya. They also domesticated turkeys, duck and dogs as food and at times ate meat from larger wild animals such as deer, but none of these were a major part of their diet. The calendar used by the aztecs had 365 days and 18 months - remarkably accurate and somewhat similar to what we use today. How did they make chocolate? "Central Mexico Classic." Together with beans, vegetables, fruit, chilis and salt nixtamalized corn can form a healthy and diverse diet.[24]. The taste is somewhat bitter, it satisfies and refreshes the body, but does not inebriate, and it is the best and most expensive merchandise, according to the Indians of that country (Benzoni 1575). It came in a vast number of varieties of various sizes, shapes and colors; yellow, reddish, white with stripes of color, black, with or without speckles and a blue-husked variant that was considered to be particularly precious. Your email address will not be published. When the war was over, more than 200,000 people had been killed. It was prepared by priest Bernardino de Sahagun from Spain who lived and worked in the New Spain for 60 years, collecting vital medicinal information regarding the use of chocolate for the body both internally and externally (Dillinger et al. The leader's ability to acquire food needed for ritual was important for his political success. The mixture was then boiled until it thickened. The fruits are called pods and each pod contains around 40 cacao beans.. ", In the ceremonies honouring Mixcoatl, after a "great hunt," Aztecs would feast on deer, rabbit, and all other animals killed in the hunt. All seven containers likely held varieties of the cacao beverage. Mesoamerican gods were similar across each civilization (or the same in some cases) and they shared the use of human sacrifice to please their gods. To some of the first Europeans, the Aztecs described maize as "precious, our flesh, our bones".[22]. Montezuma sent priests and sorcerers to meet Cortes. While developing a system for classifying living organisms, he assigned the botanical name Theobroma cacao to the chocolate tree. "From Grinding Corn to Dishing Out Money: A Long-Term History of Cooking in Xaltocan, Mexico." The process is time consuming and minimal chocolate is retrieved from each pod, but the value is so great and the time used in order to prepare the chocolate adds to the sacredness of the end product. If he appeared agitated or nervous due to his impending doom, the captive would be fed a relaxing drink. The Spanish who moved into Mesoamerica were unfamiliar with the savage flavors of the spicy chocolate and determined that it would not be popular as it stood and was not to sent back home without proper adjustments like the elimination of many spices and the addition of sweetening ingredients. They were unaware of the importance of the drink and could not bear to even choke it down. Rich hosts could often receive guests sitting in rooms around an open courtyard similar to Caravanserais and senior military men would perform dances. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Upon his return to Spain, Columbus toted a mere handful of cacao seeds. The Aztec loved cold chocolate drinks (unlike the Maya, who preferred theirs warm), but in the far more rigid Aztec communities, only special individuals -- rulers, priests, great warriors, leading merchants, and honored guests -- were officially allowed access to this beverage. We drink chocolate with nothing beaten in. The true beneficiaries of these offerings were Catholic priests, who grew wealthy and consumed chocolate regularly. The tree produces fruits approximately the size and shape of an American football. comm. The offering of blood also occasionally consisted of priests lancing their own earlobes or kings lancing their penises with obsidian blades drizzling their own blood to cover cacao and offering it to the gods whom they were honoring (Rissolo per. The Aztecs stressed moderation in all aspects of life. Chocolate and the Aztecs - Chocolatour with Doreen Pendgracs https://www.chocolate.org/blogs/chocolate-blog/chocolate-and-the-aztecs. The planted trees take four or five years to flower. The credit for that belongs to earlier Mesoamerican civilizations. 2005). Cacao tradition was alive and well with the Aztecs. The basic recipe for tle was eight parts water and six parts maize with lime that was cooked until it softened and then ground. Aztec cuisine was a very well-rounded diet without any significant deficiencies in vitamins or minerals. However, there is absolutely no proof of South American usage of cacao prior to modern times and, according to Gomez-Pompa et al. It would say: O our Lord, this vassal picked me not up when I lay scattered on the ground. The act of eating another human was deeply connected to the Aztec mythology, in which gods needed to consume the sacrificed flesh and blood of humans to sustain themselves, and the world. It was also used to grind sauce ingredients like peppers, though different sets of manos and metates would likely have been used to avoid getting other flavors in maize dough (masa). Cortes returned to Spain with many riches extracted from the Aztecs. Octli; wine [made from Agave]. Your email address will not be published. A sixteenth-century source describes this association of cocoa to the ruling elite as follows: all the places where there was cocoa were the rightful due of the rulers. Sources include the Badianus Manuscript, the Princton Codex and the Florentine Codex. Men and women were separated at banquets and, though it is not entirely clear from the sources, it seems as if only men drank chocolate. We'll take you on a voyage of discovery and introduce you to some of the most exciting flavours and fascinating stories from around the chocolate world. Aztecs imitating the Maya made a frothy drink out of ground chocolate with maize after much grinding and straining, similar to how the Maya prepared their own chocolate; they also added chile, pepper, or other spices to the drink instead of heating it, to similar to how the Maya Aztec | History, Empire, Facts, Location, & Culture | Britannica He also went on to build cacao plantations in the new colonies which produced beans for trade and brought prosperity to Spain.The Spanish did not settle for the bitter drink enjoyed by the Aztecs. Chocolate and the Mayans | HowStuffWorks (Much of that process remains unchanged to this day.) Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. 2000). The victims were usually prisoners of war, but in some cases, the loser of a ball game would get the call. A brief history of chocolate - BBC Bitesize The cacahuatl of the Aztecs would have been made by women of all classes, through an elaborate, multistep process. It assists in reducing abdominal pain (Morton, 1981, 556-557). Parts of the 260-day ritual calendar of the Aztecs were veintena. Nonetheless, the Spanish encouraged cocoa production during early colonial years, and extracted it as tribute from indigenous communities. When eating, guests would hold their individual bowls filled with dipping sauce in the center of the right hand and then dip corn tortillas or tamales (which were served from baskets) with the left. The Aztec word for the bitter drink is 'xocolatl' which some think the modern word chocolate comes from. Laboratory analysis of its inner surface by came back positive for chocolate. When the weather took a dramatic turn, threatening the crops, they sacrificed more people. Julies geographic experience includes excavating in Southern England, Southwest USA, Northeast and mid-Atlantic USA as well as analyzing faunal assemblages from Post-Medieval Scotland, Roman England and Medieval Italy. The formulation and serving techniques of the chocolate were somewhat different than today. It was considered a potent intoxicant and something that was drunk with great solemnity and gravity and was described as something "not drunk unthinkingly" by the Spanish chronicler Sahagn. The Aztecs primarily used chocolate as a drink, but they also used the cacao butter to protect their skin and used the beans as a form of currency.. See full answer below. The cultivation of a cacao tree and its seeds is a rather involved and time-consuming process. 1990, 249). Did chocolate die with the Aztecs? The Aztecs inherited a rich legacy of chocolate consumption from other Mesoamerican societies!
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