In a scene on a delicate Maya vase from Guatemala, a woman pours a chocolate drink from one vessel to another, holding it high to create a head of foam, the most prized part of the beverage.
The vase is not only the first painted representation of a Maya ritual passed down to the Aztecs and then to Spanish colonists, but the first to show the crucial role of Maya women in the making of chocolate. It was probably the women of Mesoamerica who saw past cacao as a fruit and recognized it as the source of something much more complex—chocolate. Maya women perfected the process of making it—drying, roasting and grinding cacao beans on a three-legged volcanic stone.
Cacao in demand
The contemporary Maya women of Guatemala keep these traditions alive, crafting artisanal chocolate in ways that have not changed much since 750 A.D. Their reliance on time-tested techniques and ingredients is all the more admirable because they work in an adverse environment in which cacao is threatened by harvesting of easier crops like sugar cane and by the cumulative effect of centuries of neglect. Today the country does not produce enough cacao to satisfy domestic demand, and much work is needed to save the remaining heirloom cacao and encourage exports.
Behind the scenes
In October, I was invited to attend the Second National Fair of Cacao in San Antonio Suchitepéquez. There I ...
Discussion Questions
- In the past, what was one art form or craft that the women of your culture participated in?
- Did you realize the production of chocolate was such a complex task? How will this affect your appreciation for chocolate the next time you eat or drink it? Explain.
