Cocoa, from which chocolate is created is said to have originated in the Amazon at least 4000 years ago. Chocolate, which is derived from the cocoa seed, was used by the Maya Culture, as early as the Sixth Century. Maya called the cocoa tree cacahuaquchtl tree and the word chocolate comes from the Maya word xocoatl, which means bitter water. To the Mayas cocoa pod signified life and fertility. In the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayas cultivated the earliest known cocoa plantations. The cocoa pod was often represented in religious rituals, and the texts their literature refer to cocoa as god's food. The Aztecs attributed the creation of cocoa plant to their god Quetzalcoatl who descended from heaven on a beam of a morning star carrying a cocoa tree stolen from paradise. In both the Mayan and Aztec cultures cocoa was used as a thick cold, unsweetened drink believed to be a health elixir. Sugar was unknown to the Aztecs, so different spices were used to add flavor to cocoa and even hot chili peppers and corn meals were used! Aztecs believed that wisdom and power came from eating the fruit of the cocoa tree, and that it had nourishing, fortifying and even aphrodisiac properties. The Aztec emperor Montezuma drank thick chocolate dyed red. The drink was so prestigious that it was served in golden goblets that were thrown away after every single use. He liked it so much that he is rumored to drink 50goublets per day! Cocoa beans were used as currency. 400 cocoa beans equaled one Zontli, while 8000 equaled one Xiquililli. When the Aztecs conquered any tribe, they demanded their payment in cocoa. Columbus brought the first cocoa beans to Europe as presents to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Unfortunately, the first cocoa beans did not receive much attention. Hernando Cortez, who conquered part of Mexico in1519, presented the Spanish King Charles V with cocoa beans from the New World and necessary tools for its preparation. Thus, the xocoatl of the Mayas and Aztecs became the Chocolati of the Spanish. Cortez postulated that if this bitter beverage was blended with sugar, it could become a delicacy. The Spaniards mixed the beans with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. The tantalizing creation was kept a secret from the rest of the world by the Spaniards for almost a hundred years. Chocolate, considered as an aphrodisiac has been proved by modern scientists. Scientists have isolated phenyl ethylamine (PEA) which is a stimulant found in chocolate, and in the brain. A miniscule amount of PEA is released at the moments of emotional euphoria, raising blood pressure and heart rates. Chocolate is also considered good for your heart. Raw cocoa contains flavonoids, plant based compounds with protective antioxidants like those found in green tea. The antioxidants may help reduce blood pressure and improve blood circulation. The Mayas and Aztecs believed that cocoa would calm their nerves, shrink their hemorrhoids, and ease their hangovers. Chocolate apart from being a delicacy has a number of medicinal properties. While shopping for chocolate it is pertinent for every shopper to select only those products, which apart from satisfying the taste buds also retains the goodness of cocoa. Chocolate Bazaar is your best guide in this direction.