Cacao usage by the earliest Maya civilization.
The Maya archaeological site at Colha in northern Belize, Central America, has yielded several spouted ceramic vessels that contain residues from the preparation of food and beverages. Here we analyse dry residue samples by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric-pressure chemical-ionization mass spectrometry, and show that chocolate (Theobroma cacao) was consumed by the Preclassic Maya as early as 600 bc, pushing back the earliest chemical evidence of cacao use by some 1,000 years. Our application of this new and highly sensitive analytical technique could be extended to the identification of other ancient foods and beverages.
Hershey Foods Technical Center, PO Box 805, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. whurst@hersheys.com
W Jeffrey
WJ
Hurst
Stanley M
SM
Tarka
Terry G
TG
Powis
Fred
F
Valdez
Thomas R
TR
Hester
D001106:Archaeology / Q000379:methods; D001531:Belize; D001628:Beverages / Q000266:history*; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history*; D002516:Ceramics / Q000266:history; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D049690:History, Ancient; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D013805:Theobromine / Q000032:analysis
D013805:Theobromine