The Maya and Aztec worlds

Chapter 1

The currency of cacao

View / Create

Answer

Chapter 2

The high stakes of the ballgame

View / Create

Answer

Chapter 3

Mesoamerican science and engineering

View / Create

Answer

Chapter 4

Gods, myths, and the underworld

View / Create

Answer

YOUR GOAL

Master of The Maya and Aztec worlds

Ch 1 · The currency of cacao

The currency of cacao

misslily The currency of cacao

misslily A bitter drink for elites

misslily The ancient art of counterfeiting

misslily Growing wealth on trees

misslily The divine origin of chocolate

misslily Chocolate money, chocolate money! (Don't take those clay beans!)

A bitter drink for elites

misslily A bitter drink for elites

Fun Fact

Cacao counterfeits: Aztec counterfeiters filled empty cacao husks with dirt or wax to trick market vendors into accepting them as real money.

The ancient art of counterfeiting

misslily The ancient art of counterfeiting

Glossary

cacao (noun)
The seed of a tropical evergreen tree from which cocoa and chocolate are made. During the fifteenth century, Aztec merchants traded these seeds to purchase everyday items like rabbits.

Quiz

How did Aztec emperors like Montezuma II store their vast wealth of cacao?

Gossip

Would you prefer bitter chili chocolate or sweet milk chocolate?

Quiz

What could a person buy with a single cacao bean in an Aztec market around 1500 CE?

Quiz

How did Aztec counterfeiters trick merchants with fake cacao money?

Quiz

Why was the foam on top of an ancient Maya chocolate drink highly prized?

Quiz

Which group of people in Aztec society was most likely to be allowed to drink chocolate?

Quiz

Which Aztec god was believed to have stolen cacao from the heavens to give to humans?

Quiz

Why did the Maya and Aztecs rarely eat chocolate as a solid bar?

Quiz

Which ingredient was commonly mixed into the ancient Mesoamerican chocolate drink known as xocolatl?