Culture of The mayas is one of the most fascinating of the Pre-Columbian America. They developed the farming, barter and trade. El cocoa it was very important to the Mayans. They built beautiful cities with step pyramids. On glyphic writing it is the only fully developed writing system in the pre-Columbian American continent.
Cocoa was used as currency
El cocoa had great value to the Mayans and was used as currency. An element of commercial exchange and key piece in the preparation of food and beverages.
But there is something we did not know. Thomas Perez Suarez, researcher of Philological Research Institute, reveals that in the Mayan culture the cocoa was present in funeral contexts. This because I needed the shade to grow from the tree peanuts, which is associated with the dark and the underworld.
In Mesoamerican thought this does not imply that representing the nocturnal is bad, but on the contrary, night and day complement each other. "There is no such dichotomy as in Western thought", highlights the expert. Perez Suarez explains that the cocoa is complemented with corn, related to the day, to grow in cornfields open with solar radiation.
Cocoa has been found in funeral items of the Mayas
In fact, one of the vases most beautiful found by researchers is known as The Chocolatera. Coming from a grave called Blue River, located northeast of peten.
The Chocolatera It is a vessel that was hermetically closed and on its lid had a hieroglyphic inscription with a legend. He said "This is your vessel for your cool cocoa drink". When analyzed, the researchers found that it contained theobromine, a stimulating substance. This is in the cocoa shell. It has properties diuretics, vasodilators and muscle relaxation.
From these finds they were found in many other tombs jugs of this type, where the important thing was its content.
According to the researcher belonging to the Mayan Studies Center, the original word of peanuts would cacahuatl (cocoa) and nantzin (mother). Thus, his name means the mother of cocoa.
The term 'cacao' arose from the Mayan 'Kaj', which means bitter, and 'Kab', which means juice.
According to Mayan mythology, Kukulkan gave cocoa to the Mayans after the creation of mankind, made of corn ('lxim') by the goddess Xmucane. The Mayans hold an annual festival in April to honor the God of cocoa.
