Hey there chocolate lovers! A big part of summer at Life’s So Sweet includes welcoming customers into our shop on a tour of our manufacturing area. On the tour customers learn about the history of chocolate, and how chocolate transforms from a small tropical bean to a sweet and creamy chocolate treat. One of my favorite parts of the tour is the discussion of chocolates beginnings and use by the Mesoamerican people, such as the Aztecs, Mayans, and Toltecs and the stories they told about it.
The Aztecs, Mayans, and Toltec people all regarded chocolate as a sacred plant and they used the beans to make a drink called xocolatl that they would utilize during special ceremonies, like weddings, feasts, and religious observances. Since chocolate was so important to the Aztecs, Mayans, and Toltecs it became a prominent feature of many of their oral histories and origin stories. For the Toltecs, these stories revolved around their god, Quetzalcoatl who, much like Prometheus, stole the chocolate plant from the heavens where the other gods enjoyed its rich flavor, and brought it down to Earth so the Toltecs could enjoy it too.
According to the story, Quetzalcoatl had a special connection with the Toltec people, whom the other gods treated mercilessly, making them work hard everyday to build them temples. To get back at the gods, and to show his love to the Toltecs, Quetzalcoatl stole cocoa bush from them and brought it back to Earth to plant in the ground. After the plant bloomed and grew the seed pods holding the cocoa bean Quetzalcoatl harvested the seeds, showing the Toltecs how to dry them, and them turn them into the frothy, spicy drink that the gods all enjoyed.
However, when the other gods found out that their special plant had been stolen they vowed to get back at Quetzalcoatl and the Toltecs by destroying their friendship. In order to do this they planned to trick him into drinking a potent drink made from agave that would make him drunk so that he would embarrass himself in front of his people. Meanwhile, Quetzalcoatl dreamt that the gods were angry at him and planning their revenge which upset him. The gods saw this as an opportunity and sent a messenger disguised as a merchant to give Quetzalcoatl the drink they made especially for him. The disguised messenger told Quetzalcoatl that the drink would make him happy, and take away his troubles.
Quetzalcoatl took the drink and became intoxicated immediately, dancing wildly with huge gestures, in front of his people. The Toltecs were confused and frightened, and when Quetzalcoatl recovered from his drunkenness the next morning he was deeply ashamed of his behavior and the ability of the gods to trick him. Embarrassed, he chose to leave the Toltecs, and waded out into the ocean leaving the cocoa seeds behind so the chocolate could continue to grow.
The aztecs also include Quetzalcoatl in their oral histories about the origins of chocolate. For them, chocolate was a special gift given to them because of the sacrifices made by a young princess who refused to tell her husband’s enemies the location of the royal treasure. Angered by her silence they killed her, but Quetzalcoatl made a cocoa tree grow in her place to honor her loyalty.
I love reading these stories (and there are many more like it) because they show a different side of chocolate. A lot of the passion that surrounds chocolate nowadays depends on holidays such as Valentine’s Day and Christmas where chocolates are exchanged to show love and admiration, and outside of those holidays chocolate is often marketed around those same kinds of themes. These stories however, show an entirely different side of chocolate and its importance to people’s lives. Not that there is anything wrong with how people view chocolate today, I definitely enjoy giving and receiving chocolate to show my affection to friends and family but it is interesting to think about how the meaning of things changes across cultures, time, and space. So, next time you visit Life’s So Sweet and enjoy some of our treats, or even come in to hear some more stories on our tour, try thinking about the Aztecs and Toltecs and the journey of chocolate from that bitter spicy drink, to our sweet and creamy chocolates of today.