Chocolate

The Olmec and the Maya who inhabited the heart of central America were the first cultures to cultivate the tree called "cacahuaquiahitl." In its wild state, the tree is quite tall, with a height of 5 to 7 meters and able to produce at commercial scale at 4 or 5 years of age. It reaches maximum performance between 10 and 15 years and could have a productive life of up to 50 years.

The paradise of the Olmec which stretched along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, provided the moisture, heat and shade needed by the cacao tree.

Centuries later, the Mayans reigned from the Yucatan to the coast of Guatemala and began to cultivate this wonderful tree as well. They considered its seeds to be extremely valuable, both for their monetary use as well as its nutritional qualities, besides being a symbol of life and fertility.

The cocoa bean was sacred to the Maya. They created a bitter drink made of cocoa beans served in cups of gold that was exclusively for the use of kings and members of royalty. It was also used to give solemnity to the performance of sacred rituals. This drink was sometimes accompanied by spicy chile.

Moreover the Toltecs who worshiped the king Quetzalcoatl, who also was regarded as the god of air and had the mission to deliver the seeds of the cacao tree from his kingdom to the land of men and teach them to grow this priceless grain.