STANDLEY TREES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 807 



*' It would be difficult to give an exact idea of the extent and character 

 of the lands employed to advantage by the ancient Mexicans for the culture 

 of cacao. It is certain that the chief places of production were to the south 

 of the country, bordering on Guatemala. It is there that this precious plant 

 is still cultivated, and to-day as in former times it is the district of Soconusco 

 which gives the product of best quality." 



Oviedo states that those persons who had cacao trees growing upon their 

 lands were considered rich. " In the province of Nicaragua," he relates, 

 "a rabbit is worth 10 seeds, and for four you can buy eight nisperos; a slave 

 is worth a hundred, more or less. * * * Even with these seeds there are 

 ways of cheating, such as putting false or empty shells among a quantity of 

 them. These spurious ones are prepared by separating the shell and filling it 

 with earth or some other substance, then the shell is closed so carefully that 

 the substitution is not perceptible. He who receives them, when he counts 

 them, touches them one by one with the forefinger, and no matter how well 

 the counterfeit has been performed, it is detected by the touch." Acosta men- 

 tions the fact that cacao seeds were given as alms to the poor. Berual Diaz 

 del Castillo relates how upon his return to Mexico after his long journey 

 back from Guatemala, Cortes " sent us presents of necessaries, likewise gold 

 and cacao for our expenses." 



Theobroma cacao is the principal source of the chocolate and cocoa of com- 

 merce, but other species also are planted, some of them extensively. Cacao 

 is grown commercially in Mexico, especially in Chiapas and Tabasco. At an 

 early date it was introduced into the Canaries and Philippines, and now 

 it is grown extensively in many parts of the Old World tropics. Numerous 

 minor varieties, differing in the form of the fruit, are known. The quality 

 of the product varies greatly in different countries. The young trees must be 

 grown under shade. Chocolate is the term applied to sweetened prepara- 

 tions of the roasted and ground cacao seeds, with a large proportion of the 

 original fat retained. Cocoa is prepared in the same way, but most of the 

 fat is removed from it. 



Tlie original inhabitants of Mexico sometimes ate the seeds either green 

 or dry, but the seeds were used chiefly for the preparation of a drink known 

 as " xocoatl," this being the term from which the word chocolate is obtained. 

 The word xocoatl signifies " sour water," the unsweetened decoction of the 

 seeds being unpleasantly bitter. The drink as prepared by the Mexicans was 

 different from the chocolate as now usually prepared. It consisted of a strong 

 decoction of the seeds, flavored with chile, maize, honey, ceiba seeds, and many 

 other substances, and the beverage was beaten into a foam which dissolved 

 almost imperceptibly upon the tongue. It was often colored with Bixa orellana. 

 It was the favorite drink of the Mexican nobility, who consumed immense 

 quantities of it. It was a favorite also of the emperor, for whom almost 

 incredible quantities were prepared every day. A drink still much used in 

 some parts of Mexico is "chilate" (in Nahuatl chilatl, chile-water, or chil- 

 cacohuatl) , which is made from cacao, chile, and water. Similar drinks are 

 prepared also by the addition of other substances. 



Chocolate was one of the first Mexican products to come to the notice of 

 the Spanish invaders of Mexico, all of whom were enthusiastic in its praises. 

 Cort6s mentions it in his letters to the King of Spain. After the Conquest 

 it was an esteemed drink among the Spanish settlers, and It is related that 

 in Chiapas the ladles had It brought to them even In the churches, until the 

 bishop forbade the servants who brought it to enter the church buildings. 

 Acosta is a unique exception to the Spanish proponents of chocolate. He savs : 



