The Gift of the Feathered Serpent
Steeped in myth and legend, cocoa holds an almost mystical fascination for human beings. The ancient Central American civilizations believed that the precious seeds were a gift from the god
Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and treated the brown gold with corresponding reverence. Recent researchsuggests that the Olmecs were cultivating cocoa on the Mexican Gulf Coast as early as 1500 BC. The Mayas not only carried on growing cocoa, but also used the beans to brew a bitter drink spiced with pepper, chili and other ingredients that was consumed by the ruling classes
and priests at sacred rituals. Over the centuries, other advanced Central American civilizations adopted this tradition. The Aztecs also used the sacred drink, which they called “Xoco-atl”
(xoco = bitter; atl = water), as an essential element of their rites. Precious cocoa was presented to the gods asa sacrificial offering and was also used as a form of payment. For instance, according to a price list dated 1545, a turkey cost 200 cocoa beans and a rabbit 100. Some taxes were also collected
in this “currency”. It took the arrival of the Spanish peso to replace the precious brown seeds as a currency in theconquered Aztec empire. It is recorded that the bitter spicy drink was regarded
as a source of wisdom and energy, an aphrodisiac and a soothing balsam, and was regularly drunk from golden goblets in large quantities by Moctezuma II, the last ruler of the Aztecs, and his warriors
as a source of strength.