RosecelaSemedo

APEuropeanHistory
2November2015
ColumbianExchange:HowImportantWasChocolate?
Chocolateisoneofthemostprizedcommoditiesintodayssociety.Weresortto
chocolateforcomfortwhenweneedtofillavoid.Werewardourselveswiththis
indulgencewhenwefeelasthoughweveworkedenoughforit.Weuseitasan
instrumenttodemonstrateourloveforthosewecaremostabout.Weevenseekitincold
weatherforinternalwarmthandtradition.Sowheredidthisgreatcontributiontoour
society,today,originatefrom?Inthe16thcentury,cacaomadeitswayfromSouth
AmericatoSpain,whichthenquicklyspreadthroughoutEurope.Cacaoimpactedpolitics
byreassertingthepowerofthepapacy.Itimpactedtheeconomybyservinggreat
commercialvalueintradeandsoon,creatingmanyindustries.Itimpactedsocietyby
servingasanemblemofwealthandthus,reassertedsocietalorder.
AtatimewhenthepowerofthePopewasbeingquestionedbyuprising
Protestants,theintroductionofcocoabeansdemonstratedhowpapalsupremacywasstill
dominant.In1591,therewasareligioushurdlebetweentheDominicFriarsandthe
Jesuits.Lentisaperiodofdevotiontofasting,abstinence,andpenitence.TheJesuits
believedthathotchocolatedidnotintrudewithLent.TheDominicanFriars,however,
believedthatbecauseitwassuchasensualdrink,itdidntconformtothepracticeof
Lent.Thepopeintervened,PopeGregoryXIII,anddeclaredthatdrinkingcocoadidnot
breaktheLentenfast.Throughpapalapproval,cocoaadvanced.Itfollowedtraderoutes

bylandandsea.ThisshowsthateventhoughtheProtestantReformationwastaking
place,papalsupremacywasstillpowerfulandthedelicioushotcocoaisoneofmany
examplestosupportthis.
CacaowasoneofmanycommoditiesintheColumbianExchange.The
ColumbianExchangeimpactedtheeconomybytransitioningtradeintoaglobal
economy,workingtogethertohelptheirindividualeconomies.Cacaoservedgreatvalue
totheEuropeansthatacquiredit.Sinceitwasregardedasaluxurydrink,Spanish
merchantswereabletomakegreatprofitsbecausethesupplywaslimitedandthus,more
expensive.Cacaocultivationwasrestrictedtothehot,humidbelt10to20degreesnorth
andsouthoftheequator.TheycolonizedMexicoandsetupcocoaplantationssothat
theycouldprofitfromgrowingandtradingcocoa.So,cocoabeansalsocontributeda
workforcesystemtotheeconomy.Acombinationofwagelaborersandenslaved
peopleswereusedtocreateaplantationworkforce.Itwasnotuntilcenturieslaterthat
chocolatewasmademoreaffordableandgreatindustriesweremadeintheIndustrial
Revolution.Thisshowsthatcacaonotonlyhadaninstantimpact,butalastingaffecton
theeconomywithboomingindustriesthathelpedstimulatecommercialism.
Duetoitslimitedquantityandhighdemand,onlycertainpeoplecouldgetthe
privilegeofdrinkingthecocoagoodness.Asidefromitsindulgencingtaste,itwasalso
medicine.Itssoothingnatureandmildstimulatorturneditintoaliquiddrug.Sinceit
wassuchanexpensivedrug,onlythewealthycouldaffordit.Itwaswelcomedbythe
royaltyasaspecialtydrinkandsoitbecameasymbolofprestigeandpower.The
wealthyevencreatedaspecialprotocolfordrinkingitanddesignedelaborateporcelain

andsilverforserving.Thisemblemofwealthreassertedsocietalorderbyonceagain,
dividingthepoorandtherich.Therichfoundanotherthingthatwouldmakethemselves
feelmoresuperiorandfortunate.Italsoreinforcesthesystemoftherichridingoffthe
backsofthepoor.Thepoorweretheonesgoingthroughthelaboriousandextensive
processofgrowingcacaotreesandextractingitsseedsinhotandhumidtemperature.
Yet,itstherichthatarerewardedwiththeresults.Thishighlightstheunjustsystemof
socialclass.
Cacaohasprovedtobeoneofthegreatestcommoditiesinhistory.Originating
fromtheMayansinMesoAmerica,itmadeitswaytoSpain,thenBelgium,offtoFrance
andallthroughoutEurope.Itwentfrombeingaseedtoaliquidandfinallythesolidwe
arenowmostfamiliarwith.AllthiswaspossiblethroughtheColumbianExchange.The
ColumbianExchangecreatedastrongandsolidrelationshipbetweentheNewWorldand
Europeandallowedtheirindividualeconomiestoprosperwithabalanceofcommodities.

CitedWorks
AlbertR.MannLibrary."CHOCOLATE."FoodoftheGods.CornellUniversity,2007.
Web.28Oct.2015.
"ABriefHistoryofCocoa|MedicineHunter."ABriefHistoryofCocoa|Medicine
Hunter.MedicineHunter,Inc,2011.Web.28Oct.2015.
"DiscoveringChocolate."DiscoveringChocolate.Cadbury.Web.29Oct.2015.