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Quantification of Endogenous Auxin and Cytokinin During Internode Culture of Ipecac

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Cacao usage by the earliest Maya civilization.

W Jeffrey Hurst¹, Stanley M Tarka, Terry G Powis

¹Hershey Foods Technical Center, PO Box 805, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. whurst@hersheys.com

|July 19, 2002

Summary

Preclassic Maya consumed chocolate (Theobroma cacao) as early as 600 BC, based on residue analysis from Colha, Belize. This pushes back chemical evidence of cacao use by 1,000 years.

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Area of Science:

Archaeochemistry
Paleoethnobotany
Analytical Chemistry

Background:

The Maya civilization, particularly during the Preclassic period, had complex food and beverage preparation practices.
Ceramic vessels are crucial artifacts for understanding ancient diets and cultural practices.

Observation:

Spouted ceramic vessels from the Maya archaeological site at Colha, Belize, contained residues.
Residue samples were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric-pressure chemical-ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS).

Findings:

Chemical analysis confirmed the presence of cacao (Theobroma cacao) residues in the ceramic vessels.
This represents the earliest chemical evidence of cacao consumption by the Maya, dating back to 600 BC.

Implications:

The findings significantly extend the known history of chocolate consumption by the Preclassic Maya by approximately 1,000 years.
The sensitive analytical technique employed can be applied to identify other ancient food and beverage residues, advancing archaeochemical research.