The Ancient History of Chocolate

Chocolate has an incredible story from the cacao tree to the chocolate that we love today. Discover chocolate’s long lost Mesoamerican history from its South American origins to its cultivation and rise in Mesoamerica.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:40 The Cacao Tree
08:36 Early Cacao Use In Mesoamerca
11:24 Maya Cacao Use
16:45 Cacao cultivation and trade in Mesoamerica
20:56 Aztec Cacao Use
23:06 Chocolate in the colonial period
35:45 Etymology of Chocolate
38:50 Conclusion

[alaskansummertime]

I've gained a lot of respect for cacao. I'm recovering from congestive heart failure and have been eating mega doses to open up my heart . Usually organic raw powder sweetened with monk fruit in water. I can't prove it works but I'm definitely not having chest pains like I was and I walk several miles every single day. Certainly not laying on my back and dying in a hospital bed. I can see an ancient culture holding this plant in high esteem.

[mcammontoya]

That 14 page source list is something to behold. You obviously got really into this one! You have no idea how appreciated you are as youtube keeps attempting to shove alternate history ancient aliens bullshit onto my feed. I work in the field of public lands in New Mexico, and if you need any help with finding maps of the US and leads for Southwestern culture sites I'm happy to help you out.

[alexanderscherer]

Your videos on ancient American history are sorely needed educational media to close the giant hole in the education system. Thank you for making these!

[darkwynggryph]

We here in Mexico are retaking some of the more traditional methods of preparation, and I have to say, hot chocolate and water (with a tiny bit of sugar for an extra kick, or to ease the unaccostumed palate like mine) is actually quite delicious! Kudos to the first person that picked up cacao beans and saw their potential!

[danielrego]

I'm a brazilian cacao cultivator and this one got me so hyped. lets effing go!

[eomguel]

Where to begin? Words cannot describe how blessed I feel by having been born in that majestic land we now call Mexico! Without a doubt, chocolate is one of the most important contributions that our ancient cultures gave to the world. If you ever have the chance to visit Mexico, especially the southern states where indigenous cultures are still thriving, don't miss the cocoa-based traditional drinks such as cacao foam (espuma de cacao), tascalate and tejate. They are drunk cold and there is simply nothing more refreshing during the hot months of the year. As for the etymology, the "xoco atl" or "xocolatl" [bitter water] is the one that I've always heard, including during the Nahuatl language courses I took at the University of Mexico. I'm not sure where you got some facts from, but the 'ch' sound can absolutely be followed by an 'o' sound, like in the words 'choca' [to cry] and 'chochoca' [to whimper]. On the other hand, the inclusion of an 'l' sound in the middle of the word, or the change from 'sh' to 'ch' is not hard to explain at all, just by looking at the deformations of other Nahuatl words borrowed into Spanish. In particular, the 'sh' sound --absent in Iberian Spanish-- that Catholic friars transcribed with the letter 'x' became the modern-day Mexican Spanish mess it is today. Wherever the word comes from, we can only feel thankful for the joy of chocolate in all of its forms in our lives!

[lydiawood]

Hey, I just discovered this channel a week or ago and have been really enjoying it. I have an anthropology degree and have been shovel bumming it for the last 5 years. All that time spent digging in super disturbed area, mostly finding 1950's whiteware kind of burnt me out a little, but seeing stuff like this is a reminder of why I like archaeology so much.

One of my professors in undergrad was a Mayanist, and he did research on cacao using chemical analysis on pots. I think Michael Coe was the person who wrote the textbook we used.

[xjjjcdj]

36:44 Interesting, in Russian we say <<shokolad>> with the <<sh>> instead of <<ch>>.
And also cacao (<<kakao>>) in like a funny manner can be pronounced as <<kakava>> which is surprisingly similar to how the Maya have written it down

[tecpaocelotl]

I took my time to watch this video since i consider chocolate a personal thing for me. My ancestors (owners and servents) would grow cacao trees with coffee trees. My grandma would make chocolate drinks from scratch. She also made white chocolate drink with the white cacao butter. Sadly, most people don't know how to make that version. Even though I was in the kitchen with her when she made it, she passed away when i was 7.

For thanksgiving, modern tradition I do is I bring the turkey to my mother in law so she can make turkey in mole and turkey mole tamales.

[pimpompoom]

I look forward to each and every one of your videos, please keep them coming! Chocolate AND vanilla, two wonderful contributions to our palates by the Mesoamericans.

[jakemoeller]

Thank you for this wonderful video. As a senior citizen, chocolate is still my favorite go-to treat!

[artificercreator]

Way to start the day! Thanks for the video! Greetings from Mexico.

[azuredivina]

thanks for a wonderful feature on chocolate & its history! my heritage is Mexican so i've been on a journey to learn a lot of traditional culinary recipes, from nixtamalization with metate in tow, to cooking meat in an underground pib we had built a couple of years ago. i grew up, like anyone else, enjoying hot cocoa with milk. the thought of drinking chocolate with plain water seemed unappealing to me. but i had to try it! i'm in San Diego, so we go to Tijuana frequently. i was able to acquire a beautiful Oaxacan made jarrito & so i prepared the chocolate in it with water over a stove. i have to say, i fell in love with the pure flavor of chocolate with the water & was sad when i ran out of my Oaxacan made chocolate. i look forward to going to the artisanal shops again & getting my hands on plenty more. can't wait to try it with some powder made from ground chilies next time, as Chilcacahuatl. just wondering what kind!

[spacebunny]

Your videos are getting better each time. I really appreciate how you cite all your sources (A rare thing for history YouTubers to do unfortunately) and to take good faith feedback and corrections on your videos.

[BlueViper]

My wife and I were literally just having this discussion yesteday about chocolate and Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures 😄

[jastermereel]

i always get so excited when i see you've posted a new video. keep up the good work!

[lepton]

you have to wonder how people figured all this out thousands of years ago. excellent video!

[Gelatinocyte]

Yes! New Ancient Americas video, and it's topical too!

[Replicaate]

There's a place near where I live that imports old-style mexican chocolate, and there's almost no wax or milk solids or anything in it, just cocoa mass and sometimes things like sea salt or hot chili for flavor. If that's the closest thing I can get to what chocolate was in the Mesoamerican empires, then I agree with them - it really is food worthy of the breakfasts of kings and gods.

[aswanb]

I can't convey how much I'm inspired by your contribution to our understanding of history and the depth in which you delve to give us a glimpse into the past! Please know that you illuminate the rich cultural and historical significance of what is unknown to many. I appreciate and respect your incredible passion for this work. Thank you so much!