The
chocolate residue found in an early ancient Maya pot in Río Azul,
Guatemala, suggests the Maya were drinking chocolate around 400 AD. The
sweet chocolate residue found in jars from the site of Puerto Escondido
in Honduras from around 1100 BC is the earliest found evidence of
the use of cacao to date. Cocoa solids contain alkaloids such as
theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the
body and have been linked to serotonin levels in the brain.
Photograph copyright (c) Trevi Bennett 2012
