Over the summer, I received a wonderful opportunity to intern at a local museum in my hometown. My research consisted of a focus on Mesoamerican cultures, namely Aztec and Maya, with a focus on plants found in the funerary landscape for the larger scale exhibit opening in 2027. Given the broadness of the topic, I started relatively small with a short piece on marigolds, a flower still commonly used in funerary practices today. Other topics included, early Aztec religion, cacao, the funerary tomb, and a preliminary jump into a plant called bourreria huanita. My favorite, however, had to be the research on the Maya funerary tomb, with a focus on cacao residue. Here’s what my research found.  

Aside from maize, cacao is one of the most popular plants found throughout Mesoamerican culture.  In fact, the seeds of the theobroma cacao tree were one of the most culturally valued plants. One of the reasons the plant was so valued was due to its stimulating effects because of the small amount of caffeine. While the dosage of caffeine found in the plant is miniscule for today’s standards, with lack of other stimulants at the time, the small amount was enough. Along with use as a stimulant, cacao was popular for trade. Traditionally, both the seeds and pulp were eaten; however, seeds were placed in higher value due to their portability along trade routes. The plant was not only popular for trade, but also within the funerary world of Maya. 

A good portion of what is known about cacao found in tombs is due to the ECAP project. The ECAP project (Early Copan Acropolis Program) ran by the University of Pennsylvania’s museum, excavated the lowest levels of Copan’s acropolis where in the base, they found 2 royal tombs. Within these elite Maya tombs, excavators found several vessels. Many of which contained cacao residue or were inscribed with the glyph marking for cacao, found through residue analysis. Thus, revealing the importance of cacao as a ritual offering in burial settings.  

Aside from residue analysis, the importance of cacao was also highlighted through iconography and texts. While no cacao iconography remains from the early classic period (250-550 CE), it is abundant in the late classic art (550-900 CE), with the plant appearing occasionally as a tree or as pods. The most common depiction, however, is found in the form of ceramic vessels representing cacao trees. These vessels typically took one of three forms, one of which is an offering vessel with a human face floating on the surface–likely representing an ancestor. The representation of ancestors as cacao trees appears to tie into the belief of rebirth– in modern times, the community of Santiago Atitlán plants a tree on each grave to follow this idea. However, this practice is not unique solely to this community and can be observed with varying plants among different groups.  

Cacao and other goods are commonly offered in sets of 5, representing the quincunx, a part of Maya cosmology belief. The offering would be placed in a square which would serve as the four corners of the world, the offering in turn, serving as the axis mundi. This offering could be performed in varying forms– from seeds to beverages, but the vessel that contained the offering was relatively consistent, a cylinder-shaped tripod vase.  

Food and drink were not the only way cacao was offered as well. During their excavation ECAP also found a male figure in one of the caches. It is depicted with cacao pods growing from his sides while bearing the glyph for a tree. Simon Martin, a Mayanist scholar, has argued that the figure represents the maize god– writing that the cacao is the first fruit to grow on the god, continuing to link the funerary space to the maize god. 

In terms of offering food, the Maya enjoyed foamy beverages of cacao and maize for major celebrations, with high importance seeming to be placed on the buttery foam topping the beverages. The drinks typically combine atole (a mixture of maize and water) with chocolate. Questions of what created the foam are ever present, and while these 2 ingredients don’t combine to produce the foam on their own, it turns out that in some communities, the secret ingredient for the staple foam is a ritually treated pataxte cacao paste. Because of this addition, it places an emphasis on the creation of the drink.  

The funerary landscape of the Ancient Maya was far more complex than just cacao offerings, and spans far more than just the Copan area. While my internship was brief, it not only granted me an opportunity to learn more about my field, but also an opportunity to delve into an area of study I hadn’t stopped to fully consider.