According to NDTV Food, cocoa beans had so much value in 250 A.D that they were changed to liquid chocolate and used as a barter currency for the exchange of food and clothes. This beverage was made using roasted and ground cocoa beans, along with water and spices.
The Mayans (a Mesoamerican civilization) mostly traded with a tribe called Aztecs. They believed that chocolate beans were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the God of wisdom.
During this time, commoners got to drink it during celebrations, but the chocolate drink, called xocoatl was reserved mostly for the upper class – the Emperor, soldiers and priests.
Because the drink contained almost 100% cocoa solids, it was used for increasing stamina, endurance, mood and was also used as a form of aphrodisiac.
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