Research conducted at the ancient Etowah site in Georgia, USA, has scientifically proven that North American Indigenous peoples consumed chocolate a thousand years ago. Through genetic analysis of pottery fragments found near the massive earthen mounds of the Mississippian culture, archaeologists have identified the oldest traces of cacao ever recorded east of the Mississippi River. [1]
Cacao as Part of a Cosmic Ritual
Dated between 1050 and 1150 CE, these ceramics contain residues from grand feasts held during the construction of the mounds. Researchers suggest that as people built these monumental structures from red clay, they consecrated the process with sacred beverages. It is estimated that cacao was consumed at the time as a bitter, frothy drink, quite different from modern hot chocolate.
Archaeologist Adam King from the University of South Carolina and his team re-analyzed pottery shards that had been in storage for decades, collaborating with French specialists. Advanced genetic testing revealed DNA fragments belonging to the Theobroma cacao plant within the vessels. [2] By examining the degradation levels of the DNA, researchers confirmed that these residues represent authentic use from a millennium ago rather than modern contamination.
Silent Witnesses to Intercontinental Trade
The tropical regions of southern Mexico and Central America, the primary home of cacao, are located thousands of kilometers from Etowah. This discovery proves the existence of trade networks in ancient America that were far more extensive and organized than previously thought. Similar traces of cacao were previously found in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, indicating that exotic goods were exchanged across the continent. [3]
Scientists have yet to determine whether the cacao reached Etowah via land routes along the Gulf Coast or by sea through the Caribbean. However, it is now known that this luxury commodity played a central role in social hierarchies and religious ceremonies during the rise of the Mississippian civilization. The discovery once again demonstrates that the Indigenous world of ancient America possessed a tightly connected, international network.
Sources and further reading
- [1] Ancient Pottery Reveals the Earliest Known Traces of Chocolate East of the Mississippi, Painting a Picture of Connection in the Americas
- [2] Mississippian People May Have Consumed Cacao as Early as 11th Century | Sci.News
- [3] Cacao in the Mississippian World: Archaeogenomic evidence for T. cacao consumption at the Etowah Site, Georgia
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