Cacao

Timeline

1. c. -1900–900Gulf Coast lowlands of Mexico · MexicoResidues on archaeological pottery show Olmec and Maya peoples drank cacao beverages, imbuing them with ceremonial and status symbolism.
2. c. 1471–1480Aztec capital markets and tribute warehouses · Valley of MexicoIn the 1470s the empire collected cacao bean tribute from southern producing regions, used beans as a unit of exchange in the capital's markets, and supplied the court with bitter cacao drinks.
3. c. 1528–1650Spanish royal court · SpainCortés brought the cacao drink to Spain, where sweetened it became a courtly fashion, spurring the expansion of plantations in the Caribbean and West Africa.
4. c. 1828Chocolate factories in the Netherlands and Switzerland · NetherlandsDefatted cocoa powder and solid chocolate technology brought cacao to mass consumption, with global supply chains forming in West African and Latin American producing regions.