According to Aztec legend, Quetzalcóatl was a god that everyone worshiped and they built for him a very large 5 storied temple. The Toltecs were taught a lot by Quetzalcóatl and the gods until they were able to measure time and determine the change of the seasons to plant and harvest things like corn, beans, yucca, all sorts of cereals and fruits.
Quetzalcóatl, gave them the gift of a very special plant, a plant that had been jealously guarded by the other gods because from the plant they made a drink which was reserved only for the gods themselves. Quetzalcóatl stole the plant from the gods and planted it on earth, once the tree flowered Quetzalcóatl picked up the pods, roasted the kernels and taught the Toltec women to grind them into a fine powder. The women then mixed the powder with water and whipped it into a frothy drink which they called chocolatl.
When the gods discovered that their chocolatl had been stolen from them. They vowed to make war on Quetzalcóatl and the Toltecs. They called on the god of darkness and the night. This god was the sworn enemy of Quetzalcóatl, who was the god of the morning star.
The god of darkness was sent to Quetzalcóatl's palace in the disguise of a false merchant, got close to Quetzalcóatl who was upset and said 'I offer you this drink. It is the drink of happiness. Take it, give it to the people, and they will be happy too!'. Quetzalcóatl believed the false merchant and drank the juice offered to him. The juice was made from fermented agave which made him drunk. He started to make a fool of himself in front of the people outside the palace who lost respect for him. The following morning, Quetzalcóatl woke up and knew that the gods had made fun of him and ridiculed him. He had lost face. He then knew that the end of his glorious city was near. He could not face the destruction of his city, nor the death of his people. So he left and as he started his walk, he noticed that the little bushes he had planted that gave the chocolatl, had transformed themselves into dry plants with thorns. He cried and cried and walked for days on end to the sea. When he reached the shore, and before he left never to be seen again, he planted the last seeds of cacao he had left in this hand. The seeds, with time, flourished and became the last gift of the god of the morning star to the people of Mexico.
This story has been shortened for contexts and relevance. If you would like to read more, please visit storiesfromtheamericas
The God that brought Cacao to Earth
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