Unit 3 - The Mesoamerican Origins of Chocolate

This is a lecture video for my Sheridan College course - HIST14310G - The History Chocolate.
Unit 3 - The Mesoamerican Origins of Chocolate
In this unit, we will look at the origins of chocolate production in Mesoamerica and the cultivation of the cacao tree. The earliest evidence for the processing of chocolate can be found in Mexico's Pacific coastal plain, almost four thousand years in the past. We will examine several Mesoamerican civilizations and the different ways they consumed and understood chocolate. We'll look at the Olmecs, and the rulers and royal courts of the brilliant cities of the Classic Maya. We will also investigate the etymology (history of a word) of chocolate.
In this unit, you also have your first assignment - the primary source analysis. You'll get a chance to think like a historian and learn to interpret the past in a critical way.
Topics
Sources for early history of chocolate
Mesoamerican agricultural revolution
The etymology of cacao
Maya Civilization and sacred chocolate rituals