Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in North America. Middle America: Belize • Costa Rica • El Salvador • Guatemala • Honduras • Central Mexico • Nicaragua
Mesoamerica: The history of chocolate began in Mesoamerica. Fermented beverages made from chocolate date back to 450 BC. Originally prepared only as a drink, chocolate was served as a bitter liquid, mixed with spices or corn puree. It was believed to be an aphrodisiac and to give the drinker strength.
The word “chocolate” comes from the Classical Nahuatl word chocolātl, of uncertain etymology, and entered the English language from the Spanish language. Cultivation, consumption, and cultural use of cacao were extensive in Mesoamerica where the cacao tree is native.
Today, Chocolate drinks are also known as “Chilate” and are made by locals in the south of Mexico and the north triangle of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras).
Pueblo people, who lived in an area that is now the U.S. Southwest, imported cacao from Mesoamerican cultures in southern Mexico between 900 and 1400. They used it in a common beverage. Evidence shows chocolate was formed into a “bar” in Guatemala, where the “bar” was invented, and consumed by Mesoamerican locals.