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   Chocolate: A Mesoamerican Luxury | 1200—1521 Obtaining Cacao— The AZTECS TRADED for it and DEMANDED it as TRIBUTE  The Aztecs couldn’t grow cacao, so they traded for it.The cacao tree will not flourish in the dry highlands of central Mexico, at one time the seat of the Aztec empire. So the Aztecs traded with the Maya and other peoples in order to receive a steady 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, Tenochtitlan (ten noch teet LAN), today the site of Mexico City.  The Aztecs also demanded cacao as tribute.Aztec rulers required ordinary citizens and conquered peoples to pay a tax, also called “tribute.” Because cacao was so valuable, conquered peoples who lived in cacao-growing areas 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. Continue to Making Chocolate |
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