Tag: Aztecs
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Chocolate created a commotion in Chiapa cathedral
Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden “Beware the chocolate of Chiapas.”—Mexican saying The cacao bean, the essential ingredient in chocolate, is native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and South America. There is evidence that chocolate was used in Ecuador over 5,000 years ago.1 The Aztecs produced a ceremonial drink called chocolatl. The Spanish invaders of the New World…
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The anonymous Olmec artisan and Velázquez
Alejandro GoyriAzcapotzalcoCarlos Valverde-RMéxico City, México In México, despite long-standing cultural domination by Catholic Spain, significant numbers Pre-Columbian figurines in terracotta, jade, clay, and other materials have survived. Some of these objects clearly represent persons afflicted by some disease. One such small sculpture that has attracted our attention is a delicate jade figurine from the ancient…