The story of the Goddess of Chocolate is complicated. Chocolate seeds were a gift from Quetzalcoatl, the God of wisdom. Chocolate seeds were so valuable that they were also used as currency. Chocolate was served as a dark bitter beverage. It was often mixed with corn puree and spices. Today, such drinks are known as Chilate in Northern and Central America.
The cacao (chocolate) tree is native to Central America and northern South America. It translates to “food of the gods.”
Ixcacao is the Mayan Goddess of the cacao tree.
The first people to use chocolate were probably the Olmec. Their word, “kakawa,” gave us our word “cacao.” We don’t know how they used chocolate. The history of chocolate traces to the ancient Mayans and earlier to the Olmecs of Mexico.
Is There a God or Goddess of Chocolate?
Ixcacao, the Mayan Goddess of Chocolate has a long and complicated history. She was worshipped as a fertility goddess with different names and roles in ancient Mesoamerican cultures.
The cacao (chocolate) tree is called “food of the gods” in Latin, so the Mayans had a god of cacao. Chocolate was considered divine, only to be consumed by rulers, warriors, priests and nobles.
The Aztecs called chocolate “xocoatl,” a bitter drink made from cacao beans.
The history of chocolate dates to ancient Mesoamerica, the region covering Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Northern Costa Rica. People then believed chocolate seeds were a gift from Quetzalcoatl, the God of wisdom. The seeds were valuable as currency. Chocolate was originally a dark, bitter drink mixed with corn puree and spices. These are still drunk as chilate. Sugar was added to chocolate in Europe.
Transformation to Commodity and Currency
Ixcacao is the chocolate goddess with origins in Mayan traditions. When society turned patriarchal, she was forced to marry the Mayan god of commerce. This led chocolate to become a prized commodity and currency, only for the wealthy and powerful.