The Significance of Chocolate and the Cacao Tree For the Mazatec People
The Significance of Chocolate and the Cacao Tree For the Mazatec People
When Michel Martin, host of NPR’s “Tell Me More” wanted to learn more about the history of chocolate, she went right to a mother-daughter expert team. Diana Xochitl Munn, a botanist who has studied the tree whose seeds are made into chocolate, spoke with Martin alongside her mother, Nativided Estrada, a native Mazatec.
The Mazatecs are part of an indigenous group who inhabit an area known as the Sierra Mazateca in the state of Oaxaca. The Mazatec people have long since cherished and revered chocolate, and attribute deep spiritual significance to its consumption. Estrada recently spoke at the “Power of Chocolate” event at Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Munn expounded on the process of making chocolate, reminding people that it is actually a plant product derived from the Theobroma cacao tree, which fittingly means “food of the gods.” Munn went on to talk about the many forms and uses of cacao, from a seed or bean to the powder that is made from the seeds – and which we commonly know as cocoa.
“I think it's important for people to remember that chocolate is a plant product,” Munn told NPR. “It comes from a tree and, sometimes, that baffles people. They really don't know where chocolate comes from. So the chocolate tree is a tropical tree that is native to the Americas, but in fact, most of our chocolate comes from other regions in the world, mostly African countries and the tropics.”
Estrada added to the conversation, describing the historical significance of chocolate, as well as its spiritual purpose for the Mazatec people. She said that for the Mazatecs, the cacao was historically used as money. “We pay a few favors that the Mother Earth has given us. We make an offering bundle. For example, if a person is sick, we have to use a curandera (faith healer) to do the offering bundles.”
While chocolate is used primarily as a form of spiritual payment for the Mazatecs, Munn added that different indigenous groups in Southern Mexico used cacao seeds to make beverages dating back in history, mostly for special occasions such as wedding ceremonies, or to be consumed by members of the elite.
Whether used as a form of payment to the gods or consumed as a celebratory treat, it’s clear that the Mazatec people revere chocolate and attribute great value to its use and consumption. Munn concluded the interview by talking about the importance of thinking about the origin of products that we so enjoy and often take for granted. “I think that something really interesting to remember is this notion that, in ancient times, cacao beans were a form of money. You know, this tradition is still continuing in this culture, which is pretty amazing.”