ABSTRACT
Cacao has been domesticated from ancient times. It was cultivated about 2000 to 3000 years ago by the pre-Colombian civilizations, particularly the Mayas and the Aztecs (Paradis, 1979). Cacao beans were used in a beverage called 'chocolatl' for which cacao, maize, pimento, and other aromatic plants were mixed and ground. Cacao beans were so highly valued that they constituted a currency of exchange. Even before the arrival of the Spanish, cacao travelled through the trade routes of the Mayas and Aztecs, but also with the help of the Pipil-Nicaraos (Young, 1994; Coe and Coe, 1996). In 1585, the Spanish exported cacao to Spain, where the secret of chocolate-a sugared version of the beverage-was guarded for about 40 years. The popularity of this chocolate drink then spread throughout Europe. To respond to the growing demand, cacao plantations were extended into Central America and new plantations were established in several of the Caribbean islands, such as Trinidad, in 1525, and Jamaica. Cacao trees from Central America, particularly Costa Rica, were introduced in Venezuela by the Spanish, but it is possible that cacao trees were already cultivated in the southwestern part of the country before Spanish colonization (pittier, 1933; Bergman, 1969; Motamayor, 2001). Around 1750, the French planted cacao in Martinique and in Haiti, and the Portuguese planted it in Belem and Bahia.
