The first people to make chocolate were the ancient tribes of Mexico and Central America, including the Incas, Aztec and Mayans. They mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink which they called chocolatl.
Despite Christopher Columbus bringing the cocoa bean back to Spain, the King and Queen never realised how important cocoa beans was to be. It was left to the great Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortez, to realise the commercial possibilities of this ‘Food for the Gods’. During his conquest of Mexico, Cortez noticed that the Aztec Indians used cocoa beans in the preparation of the royal drink of the realm, “chocolatl”, meaning warm liquid. It was reported in 1519, that Emperor Montezuma, who drank 50 or more portions daily, served chocolatl to his Spanish guests in golden goblets, treating it like a food for the gods.