Chocolate comes from the cacao fruit and has been an important food throughout Guatemala's history. Centuries before the Spanish arrived in the Americas, the Mayan people drank a chocolate drink which they called xocol ja (pronounced "shocol-ha"). When the Spanish arrived, they put their own twist on the drink by adding milk and making it sweeter. Today the Guatemalan people continue to drink chocolate in ceremonies, during holidays and sometimes as a part of their regular diet.
The cacao fruit originally came from Ecuador but made its way up to Guatemala centuries ago. Scientists estimate that cacao was first used about 5,300 years ago: archaeologists have found Mayan tombs in Guatemala where the skeletons had been surrounded by vessels of cacao. Some vessels had the word "kawkaw" on them. Others had pictures of the chocolate beans on them. The chocolate beans are, therefore, both an important symbol of the indigenous people of the past, and of Guatemalans today.
Throughout my journey in Guatemala, I have been lucky enough to try different forms of chocolate that comes from Guatemala's cacao trees. Traditionally, chocolate comes in the form of a drink that mixes real cacao that has been ground into a paste with water, and some spices.
