4B Mayan Chocolate Bars

 

 

We have the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica (which was made up of countries in what we now know as Central America, and southern Mexico) to thank for chocolate. Although the Maya weren’t scoffing the bars we know and love today.

Back to the Maya though. They would dry, grind, and mix the beans with water to create a drink. You might think yum, hot chocolate - in fact it was quite bitter and frothy, and was often mixed with chilli. After the Aztecs conquered the Maya, they went berserk for the stuff.

The Mayans and the Aztecs believed (and perhaps some people still do) that chocolate was a gift from the gods. The Aztecs in particular revered the drink - they gave it to victorious warriors after battle, would use it during religious rituals, and even used cacao beans as currency. To them, cacao beans were more valuable than gold. Next time someone says money doesn’t grow on trees, you’ll know what to tell them.

The Aztec word for the bitter drink is ‘xocolatl’ which some think the modern word chocolate comes from. It bears a resemblance… sort of.

Others think chocolate comes from the Aztec word ‘choqui’, which means warmth.

 

 

Last half-term, 4B explored the Maya civilisation and the production of chocolate. They looked at its provenance and Fairtrade around the world. They studied chocolate wrappers (graphics, colours, intended customers) and logos then designed their own wrappers.

Finally, they created their own chocolate bar.