‘Kakaw’ what’s that? – The roots and history of Cacao

The word cacao stems from kakaw, found in the ancient Mayan languages Tzeltal and K’iche’. The Aztecs, who came after the Mayans, called the bean Cacahuatl, and their drink Xocoatl – a word we can trace today in chocolate. But cacao was never merely a food item. It was energy, connection, spiritual nourishment, and a symbol of status, vitality, and connection to the gods.

From the earliest civilizations in Mesoamerica to modern ceremonial cacao, the plant carries stories of ritual, magic, politics, and spiritual practice. It tells of humanity's relationship with nature and the energies that surround us – a connection we can still feel when we consume cacao with awareness and heart.

The earliest traces – Olmecs and Huaca Montegrande

The first archaeological traces of cacao date back to the Olmecs, an enigmatic civilization in Mesoamerica around 2000 BCE. Ceramic pots with remnants of fermented cacao show that the plant was used in social and spiritual contexts – though not in ceremonies as we understand them today. For the Olmecs, cacao was about community, symbolic meaning, and nourishment, both physical and social.

Later finds from Huaca Montegrande in Peru have pushed our understanding even further back. Here, archaeologists have found traces of fermented cacao in large ceramic vessels, suggesting that the plant was used for rituals and communal activities over 5,000 years ago. Although excavations are still ongoing and many details are yet to be explored, the finds open a window to an ancient cacao practice that we are only just beginning to understand.

A special type, Chunco cacao, is considered by some researchers to be one of the oldest known variants. Chunco may have laid the foundation for later varieties, including Criollo, which the Mayans considered the most aromatic and mild bean – the one we associate with ceremonial cacao today.

Mayans, Aztecs, and the magic of cacao

The Mayans and Aztecs continued the use of cacao with deep respect. The drink Xocoatl, often spiced with chili, vanilla, or corn, was considered divine ambrosia. Cacao was not just nourishment – it was an elixir of life, a potent aphrodisiac, medicine, social currency, and spiritual support.

According to myths, the gods discovered cacao on the “Mountain of Sustenance,” likely near the Andes, and Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, brought it to humans as a gift. This story illustrates how central cacao was to cosmology, magic, and daily life.

What we today call ceremonial cacao builds on this understanding, but we must remember that “ceremony” is a Western concept. For the Mayan people, it was about rhythm, connection to nature and the gods, and nourishing community and individual energy.

The cacao tree and its different varieties

The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) is tropical and evergreen, thriving only within about 20 degrees on either side of the equator. The tree blooms with small five-petaled flowers, which develop into pods containing the beans. A tree begins producing cacao after five years but is only fully active after about ten years.

There are three main types:

• Criollo – aromatic and mild, often used for ceremonial cacao

• Forastero – robust and bitter, used in commercial chocolate production

• Trinitario – a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, combining taste and strength

Within these types, there are many subspecies and local variants, making cacao a complex and diverse plant, both in taste and energy.

Early use of cacao

The earliest uses of cacao were primarily for social, symbolic, and spiritual purposes. Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs drank cacao as part of rituals and daily practices, but we cannot unequivocally call it “ceremony” in the Western sense. Today’s ceremonial cacao builds on this understanding, but with a clear focus on the heart and intention, and with respect for indigenous cultures.

Ceremonial cacao is still developed through an ancient fermentation process: the beans are removed from the pod, placed in warmth, covered with banana leaves, and dried in the sun. This method preserves both taste and energy and connects today’s ceremonies with thousands of years of history.

From history to modern ceremonial cacao

Today, ceremonial cacao is used for meditation, reflection, and inner connection. From Huaca Montegrande, Chunco cacao, and the earliest Olmecs, to the drinks of the Mayans and Aztecs, to modern ceremonial cacao – the plant tells a living story that continues to inspire and nourish.

Do you prefer to listen to the roots and history of Cacao?

I have also created a podcast episode where you can listen to part of the history of cacao's roots.

Hear how cacao has been used by indigenous people from South America, dating back 2000 years before our time, until the Spanish voyages of discovery almost 500 years ago. 

So this episode is a partial reading and input from me as I speak.

However, it is my own material that I am reading from, which has been developed over several years through various Cacao Trainings from different facilitators such as Cacao Mama, Gavin (cannot remember his surname, but UK based), Soul Lift Cacao among others.

As well as a lot of self-study, because it makes so much sense to connect to the roots of cacao 🤎


 

Do you want to learn more and even deeper about:

• Ceremonial cacao
• The history behind it
• Its physiological properties 
• Active meditations with different bodily focus
• How to conduct your own cacao ceremonies and hold space for others
• Diving deep into connection with yourself and this fantastic plant medicine and much, much more

Then I have created the Online Cacao Spirit Journey or the Sacred Cacao Guardian Training