For more than ninety percent of its more than 1,500 year history, chocolate was consumed as a beverage The name “Chantico” comes from the Aztec goddess of hearth and fire. Chantico was said to provide homes with warm comfort and heat for cooking. All chocolate originates from the Cacao (kah-KOW) tree and thrives only in regions within 15 degrees of the equator. Chocolate was believed to be the favored drink of the Mayan Gods (circa 250-900 A.D.) For the Aztec culture (circa 1200-1521 A.D.), chocolate was a luxury item and often used as currency. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, chocolate houses in Europe catered to the upper and noble classes with this traditional beverage.