chocology-2-blog

[chocology-2-blog]

Cacao as a remedy

According to the article, Chocolate: Modern Science Investigates an Ancient Medicine, over 100 medicinal uses of cacao and chocolate have been found in parts of Europe and New Spain. Since we are focusing on Mesoamerica for this project, I’ll discuss what they traced back to Ancient Aztec territory. The researchers found many documents containing information on daily life in ancient Mexica. The most important document among them was called “The Florentine Codex”. It was written by Bernardino de Sahagu´n ( a priest from Spain). According to the article, the Florentine Codex contained information on Mexica agriculture, botany, cultural practices, dietary patterns and health and medical practices. This text revealed that cacao was used to treat stomach and intestinal pains, and diarrhea. It was also helpful in relieving fever and faintness. For more on medicinal uses of cacao and chocolate, click the link provided under “sources used”

Source used: 

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/8/2057S.full.pdf

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Modern day uses of cacao

We’ve talked a lot about the origins and uses of cacao in ancient Mesoamerica. Now, we’ll discuss how it’s seen and used in our everyday lives. Chocolate has come quite a long way from it’s medicinal and ritualistic uses. Today there are endless amounts of uses for it.

I came across this link here: It shows you how to make a cacao face mask.

https://feedingyourbeauty.com/2015/06/24/raw-cacao-super-antioxidant-face-mask/

Why might one do that, you say? It provides a variety of benefits. Among them are: skin restoration, blood circulation, reparation of damaged skin cells and it contributes to a blemish-free complexion. The best part about it is: If you make too much, you get to eat the leftovers!

I also came across chocolate wine at a shop called Cost Plus World Market... I guess you can say this is our modern take on xocoatl? 

Lastly, here is a lighthearted video made by Buzzfeed titled “People Get Pranked With Gross Chocolate-Covered Foods”.

...In my opinion, this video is an accurate depiction of what our world has come to (in regards to chocolate).

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Cacao as a trading tool

Of course with the popularity and many uses for Cacao, it can go without saying that it was a big part of early Mesoamerican economics. A 1445 Nahuatlian document (language of the Aztecs other Central Mexican peoples) shows that “a turkey was worth 200 cacao seeds, a tamale was worth one, and the daily wage of a porter at the time was 100 cacao seeds.” Even today it is still considered a cash crop for growing countries and a key import for processing and consuming countries. The Spaniards took early advantage of world Cocao trade, even keeping their production methods a secret before the early 1600′s when they lost the market monopoly as France and England both got their hands in the market. Below is a current graph of the world’s largest importers and exporters of the plant. 

For full image of map, copy and paste the following to your search box: s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/accounts/30795/images/poster_cocoa_lettercontour3-01.png

Sources used: 1) https://archive.archaeology.org/1011/abstracts/chocolate.html 

2) https://web.archive.org/web/20111013152355/http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/learn-about-cocoa/documents/CocoaMarketUpdateasof5.18.10.pdf

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Cacao used in Ancient Maya Religion

From our previous discussion of cacao, we learned that cacao was a status marker--only consumed by the male elites. And it was commonly used in rituals as an offering to the Gods. However, it played several different roles and can be traced back to Maya religion. 

Based on some of the artwork found in the Classic and Postclassic period, cacao holds a privileged position and is symbolic of Maize God’s “death”, which is an event of “universal fruitfulness” (Martin, pg 163). Simon Martin uses the Pakal’s sarcophagus to show the connection between cacao and its’ significance in the death and transformation of the Maize God.

On the sides of the sarcophagus, fruit saplings can be seen emerging from the ground which was identified as cacao and a few other fruits. Interestingly, each tree is fused with a human portrait and the cacao tree is associated with Pakal’s deceased mother, Ix Sak K’uk, who held the closest blood connection to the ruling of Palenque. Another example can be seen from a cylinder vase in Guatemala City in which two cacao trees bear the distinctive features of the Maize God. 

For additional information, all the figures can be found in “Cacao in Ancient Maya Religion” by Simon Martin. 

Sources used:

1) http://www.mesoweb.com/about/martin/Martin_2006_Cacao.pdf

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This educational film made by Ted-Ed provides us with a quick overview of the history of chocolate. As stated in the video, a Spanish explorer by the name of Hernan Cortez visited the court of Moctezuma at Tenochtitlan in 1519. This was said to be “the first transatlantic encounter” with chocolate. On his conquest, Cortez observed that the king indulged in a frothy chocolate drink called Xocoatl. It was produced by cocoa beans and was said to be bitter and spicy. Although it was considered a royal drink, anyone who could afford it often times used the bitterness of it to provide medical relief for stomach aches. It was also seen as a delicacy when sweetening it with honey, sugar or vanilla. When acknowledging the many uses of cocoa, Cortez brought the idea of the development of cocoa bean plantations across Mexico, Trinidad, Haiti & throughout the Caribbean.

Sources used: 

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjUpk9Iagk&t=192s 

2) http://www.cocoahernando.com/hernando-cortes-discoverer-of-cocoa/