Chocolate: Pathway to the Gods
Chocolate: Pathway to the Gods takes readers on a journey through 3,000 years of the history of chocolate. It is a trip filled with surprises. And it is a beautifully illustrated tour, featuring 132 vibrant color photographs and a captivating sixty-minute DVD documentary. Along the way, readers learn about the mystical allure of chocolate for the peoples of Mesoamerica, who were the first to make it and who still incorporate it into their lives and ceremonies today. \ Although it didn’t...
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Chocolate: Pathway to the Gods takes readers on a journey through 3,000 years of the history of chocolate. It is a trip filled with surprises. And it is a beautifully illustrated tour, featuring 132 vibrant color photographs and a captivating sixty-minute DVD documentary. Along the way, readers learn about the mystical allure of chocolate for the peoples of Mesoamerica, who were the first to make it and who still incorporate it into their lives and ceremonies today. Although it didn't receive its Western scientific name, Theobroma cacao-"food of the gods"-until the eighteenth century, the cacao tree has been at the center of Mesoamerican mythology for thousands of years. Not only did this "chocolate tree" produce the actual seeds from which chocolate was extracted but it was also symbolically endowed with cosmic powers that enabled a dialogue between humans and their gods. From the pre-Columbian images included in this sumptuous book, we are able to see for ourselves the importance of chocolate to the Maya, Aztecs, Olmecs, Mixtecs, and Zapotecs who grew, produced, traded, and fought over the prized substance. Through archaeological and other ethnohistoric research, the authors of this fascinating book document the significance of chocolate-to gods, kings, and everyday people-over several millennia. The illustrations allow us to envision the many ancient uses of this magical elixir: in divination ceremonies, in human sacrifices, and even in ball games. And as mythological connections between cacao trees, primordial rainforests, and biodiversity are unveiled, our own quest for ecological balance is reignited. In demonstrating the extraordinary value of chocolate in Mesoamerica,the authors provide new reasons-if any are needed-to celebrate this wondrous concoction.
Introduction 31 Chocolate and the Supernatural Realm: Food of the Gods 92 Chocolate and Ritual in Mesoamerica: Fertility, Life Cycles, and the Soul's Journey 413 Power, Wealth, and Greed: The Seduction of Cacao 774 Serve Up the Chocolate: Drinks, Vessels, and Glyphs 1055 The Healing Powers of Chocolate: Folk Medicine, Nutrition, and Pharmacology 1356 Balancing the Cosmos: Chocolate's Role in Rainforest Ecology 153Notes 171Bibliography 175Illustration Credits 185Index 189
\ From the Publisher“To read Chocolate: Pathway to the Gods is to delve into a rich narration of one of the most marvelous gifts Meso-American cultures have given to the world: the very special delights of chocolate.” — Bloomsbury Review\ \
