The legend of Chocolate

I have been researching the story of chocolatl, (chocolate in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs) because this is one of Mexico's contributions to the world. I think the story of the cacao bean and its transformation into a frothy, rich drink and wonderful dessert that delights millions of people would make a lovely to tell children in Europe. Children would be able to use the story as a launching-pad to research the history of chocolate and of the ancient people that drank it in Mexico; recipes both old, and new, as well as botanical and environmental issues surrounding the use of chocolate in the world. This image was taken by Nicole Henning .

I have personally made myself cups of steaming frothy chocolate using tablets like the ones in the photograph. The image of a Mexican chocolate tablet was taken by Rachel A.K..


Chocolatl was a drink which was consumed by royalty and the elite in Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs, before the Spanish conquered Mexico. It was served with water (i.e.without milk), flavoured with vanilla, spices, chili and sometimes honey; it was a bitter drink. Have a look at this wonderful recipe from the Vanilla Company. Cacao beans were currency throughout the Mesoamerican world (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize). There is an ancient Mayan myth that says that cacao beans were given to men by the Gods. The Mayas celebrated the new year with the Possum God carrying on its back the Rain God with an offering of cacao beans. A representation of the Possum God and of the cacao beans as taken from the Dresden Codex can be seen here. The Dresden Codex is one of the very few examples of Mayan books that escaped the burning of Mayan libraries performed by Spanish conquistadores....

But, back to chocolatl.... Sophie and Michael Coe have written a fantastically interesting book on the history of chocolate. Sandra Andrews-Strasko blog Chocolate Speak, presents an extensive review of the book and provides all sorts of interesting bits of information on the uses of chocolate in Mexico. But now, to the story....

Quetzalcóatl visits the earth.

Once upon a time Quetzalcóatl descended to earth by the rays of a morning star leaving all the Toltecs surprised by his coming down to earth. Everyone understood that this new comer was not a simple mortal and they broke their ugly dark clay gods, to worship him. They built for him a very large 5 storied temple with staircases. The roof was held up by four monumental stone columns carved in the shape of men. The outside of the house was decorated with large butterflies and a long line of tigers who seemed to be searching for the god. The Toltecs called Quetzalcóatl Tlahuizcalpantecutli, which means, the star that comes in the afternoon. This name was quite appropriate because the star sometimes rises in the morning and others in the afternoon. Today we call this star by the name of Venus.

The temple was located in a central square around which the city of Tollan (now Tula) was built. Tollan was a very important city in the 11th and 12th century. The main gods of the city were Quetzalcóatl-Tlahuizcalpantecutli, and the god Tláloc ("the lord that comes from the earth"), the giver of rain and life and the owner of souls estranged from their bodies. The city also had a goddess, Xochiquetzal ("plumed flower"), goddess of happiness and love. She was the wife of Tlaloc and the giver of pulque (an alcoholic drink). All the gods were good and following the leadership of Quetzalcóatl, they taught the Toltec people all their knowledge, until they were wise in the arts and sciences, and could recognise the march of the stars. The Toltecs were then able to measure time and determine the change of the seasons to plant, and harvest. The Toltecs planted corn, beans, yucca, all sorts of cereals and fruits and spend their free time studying. In time they were wonderful architects, artists, masons and delicate moulders of clay.

The gift of a plant.
Quetzalcóatl, who loved them deeply gave them the gift of a very special plant. This plant had been jealously guarded by the other gods because they extracted a drink which was reserved only for the gods themselves. Quetzalcóatl stole the small bush with dark red flowers which later became dark fruits. He planted the bush and asked Tláloc to feed it with water and , asked Xochiquetzal to tend to it and make it beautiful with flowers. The little tree flowered incessantly and Quetzalcóatl picked up the pods, roasted the kernels and taught the Toltec women to grind them into a fine powder. The women then mixed the powder with water from their jars and whipped it into a frothy drink which they called chocolatl. In the beginning it was only drunk by priests and royalty. It was drunk bitter and the mayas called it kahau, (bitter).


The Toltecs became so wise, so learned in the arts and sciences and so prosperous that the gods became jealous at first, and then, angry when they discovered that their chocolatl had been stolen from them. They vowed to make war on Quetzalcóatl and the Toltecs.

Anger and Jealousy amongst the gods
The gods called on Tezcatlipoca -"the fuming mirror"-, the god of darkness and the night. This god was the sworn enemy of Quetzalcóatl, who was the god of the morning star. Tezcatlipoca came down to earth on the thread of a spider and taking on the guise of a merchant, approached Quetzalcóatl determined to cause his downfall. The god of the morning star was in his palace that day. He was very very sad. He had dreamt that the gods were plotting against him and he was worried for his people the Toltecs.

The false merchant, got close to Quetzalcóatl and asked - Why are you so sad my Lord? - Because the gods have ordered my downfall and the death of my people, answered Quetzalcóatl-.
- I offer you this drink. It is the drink of happiness. Take it, give it to the people, and they will be happy too!

Quetzalcóatl, who loved the Toltecs, believed the false merchant and drank the juice offered to him. The juice was pulque a drink made from fermented agave. He drank and drank and drank until he was completely drunk. He danced, and jumped about, and made all sorts of hand gestures to the people outside the palace who did not know what to make of the strange behaviour 0f their beloved god. Quetzalcoatl was so drunk that he did not notice he was losing the respect of his people. Finally, exhausted, he fell asleep.


Quetzalcóatl last gift.
The following morning, Quetzalcóatl woke up with a bad headache and a foul, foul breath. He knew that the gods had made fun of him and ridiculed him. He had lost face. He then knew that the end of Tollan, the glorious city of the Toltecs was near. He could not face the destruction of his city, nor the death of his people. He was deeply ashamed....so, he left Tollan, walking in the direction of the evening star. As he started his walk, he noticed that the little bushes he had planted that gave the chocolatl, had transformed themselves into dry plants with thorns. They had transformed themselves into agaves. He saw that the agave was the plant that made the juice that got him drunk in the first place. He cried and cried and walked for days on end.

He walked all the way to the land of Tabasco, close to the sea. When he reached the shore, and before he left the land never to return, he placed unto the ground the last seeds of cacao he had left in this hand. The seeds, with time, flourished and became the last gift of the god of the morning star to the people of Mexico.

Credits
The image of Quetzalcoatl was taken by Kappazeta. The image of the cacao plant in the story was taken by Artonice. The image of the agave for pulque was taken by Nathangibbs.

The Gift from the Gods: the Potato

This is my translation and adaptation of an ancient Andean Myth of the way the Sapallas, the earlier Aymara people, got the potato as a gift from the Gods. I first heard this story in Spanish, recounted as part of the Todas las Voces project.

Here is the story. Enjoy.

The Legend of the Potatoe.

A very very long time back, so far back that it is hard to remember, there were the Sapalla people. They lived in a beautiful and plentiful land, full of mountains, vast plains and a beautiful, large lake, full of fish and birds. The god Viracocha, the creator of the world had indeed been very generous to the Sapallas. He looked over them, and the people, flourished. there was plenty in the land, and people could devote themselves to the arts, poetry, painting and building wonderful buildings. The Sapalla were so happy that they so no need for conflict. They felt so assured in their land and their luck that they abolished their army and ruled out conflict from their lands.

However, in the north of their lands, lived another people, the Cari. Viracocha had not been so generous to the Cari. Their land was dominated by a big wondrous mountain. The Caris knew that their mountain, the Mistiariquipai was full of magic. Indeed, the mountain was the holder of all the evil and mischiveous genii in the world. Viracocha had put them inside the mountain together with their leader, the Lord Kuno. Kuno, and the genii were not happy inside the mountain. They were constantly trying to get out, and the mountain, trembled, and soared, and sometimes, long spouts of smoke would come out of its entrails, scaring the Caris. The land around the mountain was not very good for plowing because there was little rain, and the Caris had to wander far and wide for hunting. Often, when they came back, they sent scouts to search the best route back home, away from the smoke and fumes of the Misti.


One day however, Kuno and the genii managed to escape through a crack in the mountain. The Misti, roared and bellowed and yellow fire spouted from its mouth. Smoke and ashes enveloped the sky and circled the land. The Caris, although strong and valiant warriors could not fight the river of fire that soon engulfed their houses and their land. They had to leave. So, they gathered the few belongings they had left and went south.

The Invasion.

The Caris knew of the land of the Sapallas, through their hunting expeditions. Some of them had ventured that far south, and had come back with good game, and stories of a land that was rich and plentiful. The Caris walked and walked. They took many moons to reach the outskirts of the Sapalla land. They sent scouts and were amazed to see that the city was without walls, the people did not carry bows and arrows and the fields were unprotected. The Caris attacked at night, using all the cunning an stealth from years of being excellent hunters. The Zapallas had no chance... many died and eventually surrendered. The Caris were the lords of the land. They were not gentle with the Sapallas. They made the Sapallas work very hard; gave them little food, and did not let them do anything that would nourish their soul. Soon the spirit of the Sapallas was broken. They felt that the gods had abandoned them and their children were born without hope.

The Lord Choque has a dream.

Hopelessness happened to all the Sapallas, except for one; the lord Choque. He was the son of the last Sapalla king. Choque was defiant. He had fire inside him and the fire gave him strength. He refused to work for the Caris and would not obey their orders. He was intent on offering gifts to the old Sapalla gods, although the Caris had destroyed the places of worship. The Caris imprisoned Choque and would often tortured him in front of the Sapallas. However, Choque remained unbroken.

One day, after a very gruesome public punishment, the elders of the Sapallas went to Choque to try to convince him, to abandon his defiance and submit to the rule of the Caris. They argued with Choque, but he was not willing to give in. He told them that although imprisoned, he was free in spirit. At night his spirit would wander the altiplanos, walk the mountains, and drink from the clean lake. He would always be a free man because his spirit was free. The elders listened and pondered.

Viracocha, the creator god, was looking with favour on Choque, and one day, decided to help him. As Choque was wandering through the snowy mountains in his sleep, Viracocha sent him an envoy in the form of a condor. The majestic bird flew to the encounter of Choque's spirit and spoke to him. "Choque" - he said- "Viracocha is with you, he has seen your valour and the strength of your spirit. You will be a light to your people. Come with me to the next valley; there, I will show you a mound of seeds. Get some of the Sapallas to collect the seeds and plant them. Tell your people to take good care of them, water them, nourish them." Choque woke up. He was startled by the force of the dream but he felt renewed.

The next time the elders came to see him, he told them of his dream. The elders sent a group of men to find the seeds, and indeed, in the next valley, there was a mound of seeds. The women planted them, and all the Sapallas took turns looking after the plants. The plants grew strong from the water of the lake, but also from the dreams of the people.

The Flourishing Plants.


The Caris, saw the growth of the plants, and noted their beauty. Soon, they saw that the plants was giving flowers; little white, beautiful flowers. The flowers turned into red fruits, and the Caris, greedy souls that they were, gathered all the fruits and the leaves, and grilled them, seasoned them with spices and ate them with corn. They all ate the fruit of the Sapallas work. None of the Sapallas ate. They merely witnessed and remained silent. There was sadness in their heart, because they had liked the flowers and had thought that the fruits might be an addition to their meager foods.

As night came in, and everyone was asleep, the condor came to Choque. He said - "Choque wake up, the hour has come, gather your warriors. Be silent, listen carefully, but make haste. Soon your people will be free...." Choque listened carefully and heard groaning outside his cell. The Caris, who had all eaten the fruit of the plants given by Condor were groaning in agony. Some were vomiting... others were rolling on the ground clutching their stomachs.

The Sapallas, woke to the cries just like Choque, and saw that their enemies were weak and sick. Women, children, young and old, everyone gathered sticks and stones, and arrows and anything they could, and they chased the Karis out of the village and out of the land. After the battle, they came back to the city, buried the dead and did their first offering to the gods as free men.

Many moons later, the Condor appeared again to Choque in his dreams. He told Choque to go back to the field where the beautiful flowers had been. "Why should I go there?" -said Choque. "There is nothing there now... the Caris took everything... we need to plant again, and rebuild.... There is no time to waste looking at barren land!". "Go back", -said the condor. "Look under the ground and remember that Viracocha, the creator God is with your people."

When Choque woke up, he went to the barren field and with the help of some women, dug underneath the ground. They found a yellow, rather ugly looking tuber, but once cleaned from the dust, it was red on the outside and yellow, creamy on the inside. The women decided to roast and then they discovered a wonderful food. They named it "papa".... potato.

And, this is how the potato is a the gift of the gods to the Sapallas, and to mankind.


Credits
The image of the potatoe flower was done by Weissersteir. The photograph of the Misti is by Ramonfrombcn. The image of the condor was done by Matito.