Food of Gods, Body Treatment: Chocolate, from Mexico to the World

Just imagine for a second, a world without chocolate. This single thought will erase the smiles of thousands of kids and a lot of adults around the globe. Chocolate, an essential element in primordial societies later turned into an indulgence of the European sophisticated epochs, and has now become an inevitable treat for modern societies.

Cocoa comes from the original world cacao, one of the oldest and sweetest beans in the world. Just recently, Mexican archeologists found chocolate residues in a pot dated
3,750  years old in the state of Veracruz! It’s difficult to imagine that the origins of a chocolate bar can be found so far back in time. What would the ancient Olmecs, Mayas or Aztecs think knowing his “food of the god’s” is now the food of the common people?

Everything started in the tropical climate of the vibrant state of Tabasco, a fertile terrain ideal for the cacao plant to thrive. Xocolatl was a primitive combination of cacao beans ground up with stones to produce a grainy paste that was then transformed into a foamy drink, spiced with chili, allspice, honey or vanilla. Tabasco and the region known as the Soconusco in the state of Chiapas are the two most important producers of these beans in Mexico.
 
You may know that cocoa beans were a currency in Pre-Colombian Mesoamerica, but you might not know that in those days, you could buy a rabbit for four cocoa beans.

Today, Finca Cholula, Hacienda Jesus Maria and La Luz are some of the cacao haciendas in Tabasco where you can experience the magnificent views of the plantations, learn about the history and process of cacoa -from the harvest to the production- and taste some of the traditionally hand made chocolates of the region.

Another indulgent quality of the natural cacao is its antioxidant properties, making it a wonderful ingredient to draw impurities from the body. Today some exclusive and holistic spas in Mexico are offering unusual body wraps and treatments with xocolatl.

For the most part, the treatments consist of an exfoliation using a cacao bean and sweet almond oil scrub.  This is followed by a smothering chocolate cream and concludes with a wrapped of natural leafs.

From Cabo San Lucas at the Pueblo Bonito Rosé Resort & Spa, to the Maya Spa Wellness Center in Tulum specializing in Mayan therapy, to the Casa Magna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa ---all these quality spas offer an hedonistic and gourmand experience.  And you don’t need to worry in wiping away the chocolate from your face.

So if you aren’t yet a chocolate lover, maybe you should consider becoming one either by devouring it with delight or rubbing it on for beauty.
 
What a legacy! Cacao was born to remain, through time and space… from Mexico to the world.