Christopher Columbus was reported to have taken cocoa beans back to Spain in 1502, where it remained a mere curiosity. It wasn't until 1521, when the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico that the Spanish began to learn about the delicious flavour of chocolate.
In 1519, Cortes led a large army to Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, where he was initially received as a guest of Montezuma. Hostilities later developed between the Spanish and the Aztecs, and in 1521 Cortes led his forces against Montezuma's warriors and defeated them in battle. Montezuma was captured, and the Spanish claimed victory over the Aztec empire.
The Spanish noticed the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate, and soon after began shipping cocoa beans back home. The new beverage, which had never before been tasted outside of the Americas, became an instant hit.
The Spanish held a monopoly on cocoa for many years, and only the wealthiest and most well-connected members of the Spanish nobility could afford this expensive import. For the next 300 years, chocolate remained an elite beverage and status symbol of Europes's upper middle classes.
|
|
|
|
|
» Home |
|
|
|
» History of Cocoa |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
