History on Chocolate

The AZTECS TRADED for chocolate and DEMANDED it as TRIBUTE The Aztecs couldn’t grow chocolate, so they traded for it. The cacao tree will not flourish in the dry highlands of central Mexico. So the Aztecs traded with the Maya and other peoples so they can always have a constant supply of seeds for chocolate. In Maya lands south of their own, Aztec traders filled woven backpacks with cacao. Then these men hauled their precious cargo on foot to the Aztec capital city.The Aztecs also demanded cacao as tribute. Aztec rulers had their citizens and conquered peoples to pay a tax, also called “tribute.” Because cacao was so valuable, conquered peoples who lived in less dry areas they had to paid tribute with cacao seeds. Cacao cups, ocelot skins, feathers, greenstone beads, and many other goods were just a few of the items people could use to pay tribute.