Cacao remains deeply tethered to the ancient civilisations that revered and drank this sacred plant throughout Mesoamerica. Its journey weaves across timelines and countries, and through these stories, continues to share the wisdom and teachings held within the branches of the Theobroma tree.
Mayo- Chinchipe - Maranon Culture
Cacao has held a sacred place within the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica for at least 5,500 years, with evidence showing it was consumed as part of domestic life as early as the Mayo-Chinchipe–Marañón culture (5500–1700 BCE). The Mayo-Chinchipe people lived in the highlands of what is now northern Peru and southern Ecuador, along the Amazonian Andes.
Cacao was not only part of daily life, but also central to ceremonial practice. Archaeological discoveries reveal temples used as ceremonial hearths that hold traces of cacao consumption. One such site is the Huaca Montegrande Temple in Jaén, Peru - known today as the “Womb of Cacao.” This cacao temple is recognised as the earliest and most significant evidence of cacao domestication. At its heart were shamanic practices and deep spiritual connection.
It was also here that relics of the jaguar were found. During the excavations, a ceramic sculpture of a Jaguars head and ceramic fragments depicting the jaguars eyes were uncovered. The Maranon culture who inhabited the great spiral shaped Montegrande, considered the Jaguar the protective spirit of the cacao tree. In Peru, this is where the jaguar became part of the Andean cosmovision or worldview.
The Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón culture is regarded as one of the original centres of agriculture - the practice of cultivating the earth through planting, raising, and harvesting. Through archaeological findings at sacred sites, their stories and beliefs have been revealed. Excavations of pottery and artwork depict them as a shamanistic and animist culture, devoted to the worship of natural elements. Animals such as the condor, snake, and jaguar held symbolic importance, and cacao was both consumed and offered to the land.
We then begin to explore the Inka dynasty, which emerged around the 12th century.
As with many creation stories, the Inka began with their divine creator, Viracocha - an ancient deity who formed the universe and later created his son, Inti, the Sun God. Inti was not only a god, but also the divine ancestor of all Inka rulers.
After a great flood swept through the land and wiped out the former inhabitants - believed to have been great giants - it was time for the Inka to rise. Inti chose Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world, as the birthplace of his children, Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo.
They emerged from the waters and were sent to Earth to find a holy city and bring order and civilization to the world. With each step upon the land, they made it sacred. They were given a golden rod to guide them, and they wandered until they found a place where the rod sank into the earth. This became the Holy City - Cusco, the “Navel of the World.”
Manco taught agriculture (cacao and corn) and construction, while Mama taught the people how to rear children, prepare food (cacao and corn), weave, make ceramics, and sing. In Cusco, they also taught the people Ayni - their cosmovision that everything is interconnected, a philosophy rooted in reciprocity, balance, and deep reverence for the Earth.
Andean Cosmovision
This worldview of the Inka spread throughout the Andes, with Ayni woven into daily practices and beliefs. Ceremonial rituals often involved offerings to the deities who governed the natural world. Animals, crops, and even human sacrifices (qhapaq hucha) were made during major ritual events, these were seen as honourable and the families of those sacrificed were held in high esteem with the sacrificed one becoming a powerful ancestor.
Andean spirituality is deeply rooted in the natural world, where humans and nature are intricately intertwined.
In Andean cosmovision, there are three sacred worlds, each represented by an animal.
The Upper World, Hanaq Pacha, is symbolised by the condor, the messenger between the living and the ancestors.
The Middle World, Kay Pacha, is embodied by the jaguar, who offers protection, strength, and grounding.
The Underworld, Ukhu Pacha, is represented by the serpent. Through the shedding of its skin - death and rebirth - the snake embodies healing and wisdom, connecting us to the subtle energies of the Earth and the cyclical nature of life.
Together, these three animals represent balance and the interconnectedness of all realms.
Cacao Born From Pachamama
Pacha Mama or Mother Earth, holds cacao in her womb. She gives birth to the cacao plant. Inti, the Sun God and child of Viracocha, gives cacao life through warmth and light. Mama Killa, sister and wife of Inti, the Moon Goddess, offers her lunar cycles to the plant’s becoming.
Cacao was nurtured alongside her sister, Mama Sara - the mother of corn or maize - while the Apus, spirits of the mountains, offered their mineral rich glacial waters to the Earth.
Both cacao and maize were foundational to Andean and Inkan societies: primary food sources, cultivated together, and woven deeply into the stories of Peru.
Although cacao is only briefly mentioned in the creation story, she wandered quietly, singing the stories of her people, alongside the rise and fall of these ancient civilisations. Her roots stood firm. The nectar of her flowers was drunk by hummingbirds, and her fruit offered as sustenance during famine and as sacred offerings to appease the gods and elements.
Within her lives the spirit of the jaguar -protecting, grounding, and fierce - a guide through life, ceremony, and transformation. Cacao is an ancient plant medicine that flows through the stories, myths and folklore of the Andes and Amazon and with each sip we honour the traditions, the songs and the wisdom.
The Deities of the The Inca
Viracocha ~ The Great Creator
Inti ~ Father Sun, father of Manco Capac and Mama Ollco
Mama Killa ~ Mother Moon
Pachamama ~ Mother Earth of Fertility, agriculture and Nature
Mama Cacao ~ Born from fertile lands of pachama, mama cacao is the feminine plant spirit of the Theobroma tree, a deity and ally in ceremonies and daily life
Mama Cocha ~ Goddess of the Sea
Mama Sara ~ The mother of corn (Maize) and grain
Apus Spirits residing in the sacred mountains, mountains as ancestors, guardians and sacred beings
Huacas ~ Places, objects or beings who are revered and hold spiritual value and essence
Reflections of trekking the Salkantey trail and connecting to the Spiritual lands of Peru
High in the Andean Mountains lake Humanatay, lies underneath her protector, the Apus, whose glacier waters still trickle down into the turquoise lake below. It is here we stop, take our coca leaves offered to us by our guide, and fall silent. Listening to the whisper of an ancient language, Quecha, and under the powerful watch of the condors. We offer the Coca to the lake, the land, and ancestors of the Andean peoples. Throughout the landscape stories and tales are carried on the cold breeze, over the mountains and up towards the city in the clouds.
We then take our Cacao, honoring the traditions and plants that carry us on this hike, that offer us energy and vitality and sip in a moment of complete ionian enchantment at this sacred place. Peru 2024
