Vase with monkeys wearing cacao pods in the neck, Late Classic period 600-900 CE, probably from the Alta Verapaz region, Guatemala. Ceramic. Photo: Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos. Courtesy of Museo de Arqueología y Vidrio Moderno, Antigua Guatemala
Food for the Gods: Cacao and the Ancient Maya
GETTY VILLA
Sunday, May 12, 2024, at 2 pm
Auditorium
Free | Advance ticket required
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Modern lovers of chocolate may not be aware that they owe their favorite treat to the Maya and other Indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. Join anthropologist Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos as he explores the many meanings of the cacao plant in ancient Maya culture. Artistic representations, inscriptions, and archaeological residues prove that cacao was a delicacy consumed in Maya royal courts as well as a prized crop, a major component of tribute, and a valuable commodity linked to important deities.
Following the presentation, enjoy a taste of Mesoamerican history with tejate, a traditional maize and cacao beverage, and a cacao and avocado pudding.
Complements the exhibition Picture Worlds: Greek, Maya and Moche Pottery on view April 10 through July 29, 2024 at the Getty Villa.
About the Speaker
Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos is associate professor of anthropology at Yale University with research interests in the art, religion, writing, and urban studies of ancient Mesoamerica, particularly on the Pacific coast of Guatemala. He has published extensively on Maya myth, iconography, and writing. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for his archaeological fieldwork at the site of Cotzumalhuapa in southern Guatemala, a site with one of the earliest known Mesoamerican inscriptions and known for its fantastic monumental sculptures.