Cacao Beans as a Colonial Trade Commodity

Timeline

1. c. -1900–1521Mexico and Mesoamerica · MesoamericaCacao beans served as currency, tribute, and drink ingredient in Maya and Aztec civilizations, making cacao an important Mesoamerican economic species.
2. c. 1520–1570Viceroyalty of New Spain · MexicoSpanish colonial authorities imposed levies and trade controls on cacao-producing regions, incorporating cacao beans into imperial finance and the tribute system.
3. 1571–1580Veracruz–Seville route · SpainBetween 1571 and 1580, cacao beans were imported into Europe in large quantities via the regular New Spain–Seville route, becoming a high-value colonial trade commodity.
4. c. 1580Europe and global producing regions · GlobalAfter 1580 chocolate drinks became fashionable in European courts, and cacao cultivation later spread to West Africa and Asia, forming the modern global cacao industry chain.