The transformation of cacao bean to chocolate was discovered by the Olmec people more than 3,500 years ago. But it was the Mayan people who made chocolate the decadent treat we know it as today.

Mayan Cacao Company offers a handful of tours that last 50 minutes to two hours and introduce visitors to various aspects of chocolate making. Travelers can learn all about the processes involved ...

Try not to drool while you’re reading this. We have the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica (which was made up of countries in what we now know as Central America, and southern Mexico) to thank for ...

The Maya made a lot of cotton, which was spun, dyed and woven into textiles. Cotton seeds were ground to make cooking oil. Cocoa and vanilla were also produced. Cocoa was made into chocolate ...

Chocolate itself first began as Xocolatl, or “bitter water,” a spiced drink made from ground cacao beans, chiles and spices that originated with the Aztecs and Mayans. Xocolatl “was mostly ...