The Aztec civilization throve in the central valley of Mexico in the late 13th to the 16th century (Coe and Coe, pg. 68-69; 79-81; 84-86). Although this culture is often represented as sadistic in their practices, this view ignores the complexity and intricacy of Aztec beliefs within the context of their culture. The importance of Aztec ritual is evidenced by the practice of ritual sacrifice in Aztec culture. It is worth noting that cacao was significantly intertwined with Aztec ritual sacrifice. In fact, this product was so precious that it could be offered to the gods alongside the Aztec’s own blood. Therefore, I argue that cacao’s extreme value made it a natural product to be consumed in association with Aztec ritual sacrifices.
Cacao was deeply valuable not simply as a monetary source, but also as a product of ritual significance. The Codex Féjévary-Mayer, depicting 14th and 16th centuries of ancient Aztec empire, illustrates cacao’s value in the deeply intricate context of Aztec ritual (Coe and Coe, pg. 102).
Codex Féjévary-Mayer
In the center of the right-most side of the codex, one may observe two figures standing on either side of a tree that is emerging from the jaws of a serpent. These two figures are Cinteotl, Aztec god of maize, and Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec god of death, and growing from the jaws of the Underworld serpent is the Tree of the South, a cacao tree ripe with pods. On top of the Tree of the South is a macaw bird, the symbol of the hot lands from which cacao came. (Coe and Coe, pg. 102).
Codex Féjévary-Mayer
(rotated close-up of the right-most center, depicting the “Tree of the South”)
This part of the Codex demonstrates the deep religious value that cacao possessed in the context of Aztec society. The Codex itself also demonstrates the deep intricacies and complexities of Aztec beliefs.
Because it was such a significant product in Aztec society on a religious level, it follows that cacao would be deeply integrated within Aztec ritual practices associated with the culture’s belief system. Many Aztec ritual practices were deeply connected to cacao; cacao was deeply connected to blood in Aztec culture, explaining the significance of cacao in human sacrifice (“Aztecs and Cacao”, np.). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/6194447/Aztecs-and-cacao-the-bittersweet-past-of-chocolate.html
Aztec priests would pierce their earlobes and cover cacao with their blood as a suitable sacrifice to the gods (Dillinger, p. 2058S) Cacao was also thought to be a “metaphor for the heart torn out in sacrifice”: the seeds spilling out of the cacao pot were like blood spilling out of the human body. (“Aztecs and Cacao”, np.)
(depiction of Aztec human heart extraction) – AAAS 119x, Lecture 4
To emphasize this point, chocolate drinks were sometimes dyed blood-red. (“Aztecs and Cacao”, np.) And in one annual ritual in Tenochtitlan, cacao was directly associated with sacrifice: a male slave with a perfect body was chosen to impersonate the great god Quetzalcoatl over 40 days, during which he was treated like the god himself, but also locked in a cage at night to make sure he would not escape. On the eve of his sacrifice, he had to perform a dance as though he was completely happy about his fate. And if he did not at as such, the priests would prepare a drink from water and blood washed off from sacrificial knives – from previous sacrifices – and use it to prepare a gourd of chocolate. This drink was called itzpacalatl (meaning “water from the washing of obsidian blades”) and was said to make the sacrificial slave almost unconscious and return him to his happy and cheerful state of dancing (Coe and Coe, pg. 104).
The ritual practices show how deeply dedicate the Aztecs were to honoring their gods. Sacrificing their blood was a way to show their devotion. Furthermore, the integration of blood sacrifice with cacao in these varied Aztec ritual practices further illustrate how valuable cacao was in Aztec society. As shown by the Codex Féjévary-Mayer, cacao occupied a unique place within the Aztec ritual belief system. As a plant representing the barrier between life and death, it is no wonder that cacao was considered so deeply valuable that it was sacrificed in conjunction with the human blood of the Aztecs themselves. Cacao’s deep importance, especially in the Aztecs’ religious context, made it a natural product used in conjunction with Aztec rituals and especially Aztec sacrifice.
Sources
“Aztecs and Cacao: The Bittersweet past of Chocolate.” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. .
Coe, Sophie D., and Michael D. Coe. The True History of Chocolate. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1996. Print.
Dillinger, Teresa L., Barriga, Patricia, Escarcega, Sylvia, Jimenez, Martha, Salazar Lowe, Diana and Grivetti, Louis E. “Food of the Gods: Cure for Humanity? A Cultural History of the Medicinal and Ritual Use of Chocolate.” Journal of Nutrition, 130. 2000. Web.
Martin, Carla. “Lecture 4” from AAAS 119x: Chocolate, Culture, and the Politics of Food.
