Cacao Entre Dos Mundos: the History of Chocolate and the Clash (and meeting) of Civilizations (Ruby E. Villarreal V.)

Published to accompany the exhibition held in 2024 at the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence, on the history of cocoa and chocolate from its roots in Mesoamerican America, to its arrival in Europe, to the present day.

The catalog is the narrative guide for the exhibition held in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana dedicated to cocoa – one of the most precious treasures from the New World – as described and narrated in Brother Bernardino de Sahagún’s work. According to Aztec mythology, cocoa has a divine origin, closely connected to the god Quetzalcóatl. Maps and archaeological, historical, artistic and artisan artifacts tell the story of chocolate, from the Mesoamerica of the Olmecs to the ‘bean to bar’ movement, a beacon of hope in respect to ‘the Other’.