Abstract

People make chocolate from the seed of different varieties and species of a tropical tree, cacao (genus Theobroma). Cacao has long been an important part of Indigenous life in Central and South America and today is a major modern industry, amounting to around 5 million tons of annual production, valued at £36.2 billion in 2021 and projected to hit £53.9 billion by 2030. Archaeological studies in western El Salvador help deconstruct popular stories of chocolate’s origins and subsequent transformation during the Early Modern period into an everyday pleasure for a wide world of consumers. Archaeological evidence helps place the birth of chocolate within the complex history of culinary practices in Mesoamerica and cacao’s unusual role in social, political, and economic dynamics. This talk will present the latest results of biochemical studies being conducted at the British Museum, recent experimental archaeology studies, and collaborations with Indigenous communities that address critical questions of biodiversity and resilience.