Ixcacao

The story of the Goddess of Chocolate is a long and complicated one. She was worshipped as a fertility goddess, with different names and different roles, in the ancient cultures of Meso-America.

Mayan name, Ixcacao. (By the way, the suffix Ix- in a name makes it clear that it is the name of a female. It literally means "little one". So her name translates into English as "Cocoa Woman") She featured in the creation myths of the Mayans, introducing agriculture to the people and helping insure the birth of the Sacred Twins. Initially she was an  an earth goddess in a matriarchal society where tending the crops was woman's work. Banishing hunger and providing for the safety and security of the people was her divine responsibility. Though she seldom made a public appearance in the myths, Ixcacao, the Mayan Goddess of Chocolate, had been loved by the common folk as a compassionate goddess of abundance.

But that was soon to change!

The patriarchy had begun. At first it was a golden age. Kings and dynasties appeared. A ruling class was born.

Astronomy flourished, as did the arts; writing (glyphs) began to appear on the magnificent monuments, palaces and temples of the kings and many of the nobility. Large cities were established and populated with wealthy people.