4 COCOA : ALL ABOUT IT. 



chiefest marchandize is Cacau." Further on, describing the 

 principal town of the province of Guasaqualco (Merida), he adds, 

 " Where there is a byshopp and ahnoste a hundred Spaniardes. 

 The Indians of this province paye their tribute in mantellas of cotton 

 woll and Cacau^ There is no porte in this province for a ship of a 

 hundred tun to ryde in, save only in the river of Tabasco, by w^ 

 this citye of Merida standeth." 



Bancroft, in his " Native Races of the Pacific States," speaks 

 of some curious customs among the Maya races : " Before planting 

 the seed they hold a festival in honor of their Gods, Ekchuah, 

 Chac. and Hobnil, who were their patron deities. To solemnize it 

 they all went to the plantation of one of their number, where they 

 sacrificed a dog having a spot on its skin of the color of cacao. 

 They burned incense to their idols, after which they gave to each of 

 the officials a branch of the cacao pJ antT* Palacioalso tells us that 

 " Pipiles before begining to plant gathered all seeds in small bowls, 

 which after performing certain rites with them before the idol, 

 among which was blood drawn freely from different parts of the 

 body, with which to anoint the idol;" and as Ximinez states, "the 

 blood of slain fowls was sprinkled over the land to be sown." 



The growth of Cocoa is now distributed over a great portion 

 of the tropical world, and it will thrive within 23 parallels of latitude, 

 but luxuriates within 15, and is cultivated at an altitude of 1,700 

 feet above the level of the sea, but not successfully over 1,000 feet. 



The finest qualities are grown in Central America, Trinidad, 

 and Ceylon ; in the latter the plant is of comparatively recent 

 cultivation, but it is the most delicate in colour, flavour, and aroma. 



