If you can’t imagine life without chocolate, you’re lucky you weren’t born before the 16th century. Until then, chocolate only existed as a bitter, foamy drink in Mesoamerica. So how did we get from a bitter beverage to the chocolate bars of today? Deanna Pucciarelli traces the fascinating and often cruel history of chocolate.
WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibjUpk9Iagk
- How does chocolate’s modern image of luxury compare to its ancient uses?
- Are current efforts to end child labor in cocoa production enough? Why or why not?
- Can we enjoy chocolate today without thinking about its complicated history?
- Do you think advertising influences how we see chocolate? Why?
How does chocolate’s modern image of luxury compare to its ancient uses?
In ancient Mesoamérica, chocolate was considered a sacred and powerful drink, often associated with the gods, rituals, and even currency. It was a bitter, spiced beverage consumed primarily by the elite and warriors. Today, chocolate is marketed as a luxury and indulgence, available in sweet and creamy forms, making it widely accessible to people of all social classes.
Are current efforts to end child labor in cocoa production enough? Why or why not?
While there have been initiatives to reduce child labor in cocoa production, they are often insufficient. Many large chocolate companies have made commitments to ethical sourcing, but poverty and lack of enforcement in cocoa-growing regions mean that child labor still exists. More rigorous regulations, better wages for farmers, and increased consumer awareness are needed to make a real impact.
Can we enjoy chocolate today without thinking about its complicated history?
It is posible to enjoy chocolate without thinking about its history, but doing so ignores the ethical concerns and the explotation tied to its production. Understanding the history of chocolate allows consumers to make more informed choices and support fair-trade or ethically sourced products.
Do you think advertising influences how we see chocolate? Why?
Yes, advertising plays a major role in shaping how we perceive chocolate. Companies market it as a symbol of love, luxury, and happiness, often ignoring its historical and ethical implications. This branding influences consumer behavior, making chocolate a desirable treat rather than a product with a complex past.
How does chocolate’s modern image of luxury compare to its ancient uses?
In ancient times, in Mesoamerican, Aztec and Mayan cultures, chocolate was considered a sacred, almost divine food. Likewise, chocolate was provided to warriors who returned after the fights in which they participated. It was a foamy drink and not very pleasant – I liken its function to our coke because both gave us strength for tasks. The Feathered Serpent (Kukulkán for the Mayans and Quetzalcóatl for the Aztecs) was considered a sacred drink. Now chocolate is a mixture of the sensual, the delicious, the pleasant. For example, now that Valentine’s Day is approaching, many will surely give boxes of chocolates or bonbons to their lovers as a “token of their love.” The thing is that they do not know the entire history of chocolate (cacao) and what producing it implied in our ancient and current history.
Are current efforts to end child labor in cocoa production enough? Why or why not?
They are definitely not enough. According to the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child and Adolescent, boys and girls have the right to study, to be cared for if they have an illness, to develop as boys and girls without “skipping stages.” They cannot work, much less picking and peeling the cocoa fruits so that chocolate can be made later. Companies say that they try to reduce the number of children who work, but this is not true, since the majority are businessmen who only seek to increase their profits and know that with children labor is cheap – the same happens with work. of children in the mines. I am a teacher and have worked in rural areas. These cases are not foreign to me. For this reason, I feel irritated and committed to supporting the elimination of child labor.
Children must play and study. Children should not work.
Can we enjoy chocolate today without thinking about its complicated history?
Yes, I can continue enjoying the delight of eating some Princesa chocolates, for example, but now that I know about their history I have greater respect for the product and I have greater admiration for the native peoples of Mesoamerica (the Mayans and the Aztecs). It’s even funny that in Spain (Europe) they thought it was an aphrodisiac. I think that the Catholic religion that was imposed on us is very prudish in many aspects. Unfortunately, in part, we have from Spain.
Knowing how slaves and children (almost enslaved) work with the cocoa fruit makes me sad. I think that work should dignify the person and they should be remunerated in the case of their tasks. Clear. Since they are slaves and children, they were not paid. There we only see the lack of humanity of human beings. It’s my opinion. As Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Therefore, I am on the side of the oppressed people until they can be vindicated in their rights.
Do you think advertising influences how we see chocolate? Why?
Advertising is a necessary evil in society. It turns us into people who consume what we don’t even need. Advertising is subliminal and advertisers know how to present the product so that we buy it. Chocolate, since it has cocoa, is a harmless product, but it is the way it is made that could cause problems for our physical health.
Consuming chocolate in excess makes us gain weight, causes us to have a higher level of fat in our body, and makes our stomach weaker (cocoa is somewhat heavy). Advertisers know how to “embellish” the product and make us see its attractions more than its disadvantages. It occurs to me that we could support technical secondary schools that have a small chocolate industry. Here advertising should help students become known thanks to the products they make (assuming they are quality). Advertising, like everything in life, can be used to benefit the most vulnerable people and not just big businessmen.
Dear Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Chávez, regarding your first response in this weekly blog, I completely agree that chocolate is accessible to everyone. It is no longer a sweet for the elite, but anyone can enjoy chocolate. I really like the Princess, Sublime, and Triangle chocolates. They are my favorites. It is necessary that we always verify the health record of the sweets we consume. Cacao is also a sacred fruit that was not only consumed in North America (Mesoamerica), but also in our beloved Peru (South America).
In relation to your second answer, it is very true that the situation of extreme poverty that exists throughout the world means that boys and girls have to work and that is not fair. As you mention, the regulations in this regard have to be very clear and forceful, indicating the penalties and fines that those who make children work would pay. Unfortunately, in legislation, it is sometimes said “The law is made, the trap is made.” This means that there will always be an offender who does not obey the law and transgresses it. We must be alert to avoid it.
In reference to your third answer, you mention the ethical aspect of the person and that is very important. We like chocolate and, therefore, we consume it, but if we knew that there were children who had worked with the cocoa fruit to produce chocolate, I am sure that we would do a kind of boycott against those companies that have engaged in this miserable action. That is, we should not consume chocolate if we know that the innocent hands of children have been involved in making it.
Finally, according to your last answer, it is true that now, on Valentine’s Day, for example, there will be a huge sale of chocolates, since we associate them with love. Advertising deceives us and creates false needs. Let’s not succumb to advertising or be a society of consumers without thinking about what we buy. Let’s not allow them to “work” our brains.
Kind regards,
Rosario Del Pilar Bonilla Tumialán