A Mayan serving dish showing a woman using a metate to grind cocoa. The plate now resides at the Choco-Story Museum Brugge (Belgium). This plate has an interesting juxtaposition of flowing, organic lines in the middle surrounded by very controlled geometric lines and shapes around the rim. Color and arrangement of the designs unify and balance the opposite visual flavors.

Cocoa was extremely important in Mesoamerican cultures.

It had been believed that the Mayan were the first to cultivate the cacao tree, but new evidence places that honor with the Olmecs. However, the Mayan civilization did worship the cacao tree and believed that cacao was the food of the gods. Cacao even had a specific deity, Ek-chuah, to watch over the trees, pods, and preparation.

Writings that have survived and many artworks show cacao pods being used in rituals and ceremonies. There were multiple ways of preparing the cocoa, depending on its intended use. Flavors, colors, and consistencies of all sorts were developed. For example, one concoction was a dark blood-red color and was used as an offering to the god Quetzalcoatl.

Image Courtesy of Yelkrokoyade