The Cocoa

One day, Quetzalcoatl, the god who symbolized life, light, wisdom, fertility, and knowledge, and was considered the patron of the winds and the day, gave the cocoa tree (figure 1) to all loyal men as a reward for their love and fidelity of their wives. In those days, all men preferred to sacrifice their lives for good people before searching for quick wins and treasures.

Figure 1. A cocoa tree.

Cocoa was a gift from the gods that could only be consumed by the elite. The flavor of the fruit was bitter, a characteristic that the ancestors related to the suffering of Princess Cacahuaquahitl, who had died during a war. Some Indians said the cocoa was popularized when the princess died, and her blood fertilized the earth and gave life to the most splendid cocoa trees.

The Olmecs ground the cocoa beans mixed with water and savored the delight of the seed in the form of a drink. Over time, the cocoa culture spread to the Mayan (600 BCE) and Aztec (1400 BCE) populations. At that time, cocoa beans became their monetary and measurement unit.

In times of war, the Aztec, Maya, and Chimimeca cultures used cocoa as a tax in their conquered areas. For these civilizations, cocoa was a symbol of abundance, and they used it at the time of religious rituals dedicated to Quetzalcoatl and other divinities.

However, it was not until 1519 when the “dark gold” captivated the palate of Hernán Cortés, who tasted it alongside the Aztec emperor Moctezuma, and years later brought it to the Court of Spain. This is how the cocoa culture spread at the mercy of migratory flows in Mesoamerica, revealing the invigorating and tonic virtues of the seed throughout the world.

Inspired by Leyendas de El Salvador’s version.
Location: El Salvador

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