Sacred Cacao

Long before Columbus first set foot on the shores of the New World, the Cacao tree was revered by the Aztecs and Mayans of Central America. They had already been cultivating it for several hundred years and regarded it as a source of divine ambrosia, which had been bestowed upon them by their great God Quetzalcoatl, who was the first to have planted it in his garden.

Nahuatl name for the beans,'Cacahuatl' (=Cacao) as well as the name of their sacred brew, 'Xocoatl' (=chocolate) have survived in modern language use. The word 'Cocoa', now usually refers to chocolate powder, but derives from an age-old confusion between Cacao, the source of chocolate and Cocos, the source of coconuts.

For general use ground, roasted Cacao seeds were mixed with Atole (coarse roasted corn flour) and whisked into a rich foaming brew. Chilies, Vanilla, Cinnamon and salt were added for taste. Cacao was considered sacred to Xochipilli, the 'Lord of Flowers' and patron God of poetry, inner vision and music. The Spanish chronicler Sahagún warns against drinking too much of it, though agrees that when taken in moderate quantities it fortifies body and spirit.

The Aztecs regarded Xocoatl as a powerful aphrodisiac and stimulating tonic. Moctezuma is said to regularly have enjoyed a dose before entering the royal harem. In Mixtec society, a civilization of the Oaxacan plateau that was contemporary with the Aztecs, the use of Xocoatl featured prominently in marriage ceremonies. Even today Chocolate has not lost its aphrodisiac reputation.

Cacao In its raw state, chocolate has more than 300 nutritional compounds and is one of the richest sources of antioxidants of any food on the planet!

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