Aztec Technology That Still Sweetens Our Taste-Buds and Outlasted the Conquistadors

Any reflective student of history is often amazed atAztec's. He obliterated their society and culture. The
the products and processes invented and discoveredsouthern source of chicle was unknown to the Spanish
in the ancient world that we take for granted today.and thus lost for centuries. In 1870, Thomas Adams,
Paint, gunpowder, weaponry, cement, the arch, beer,exploring in Mexico's southern-most jungle
silk, papyrus, champagne, and so many others remainrediscovered the ancient chicle resin. Soon after,
at the center of modern society and commerce in oneWilliam Wrigley found the source and the first chewing
form or another. Two of the most interesting ancientgum war soon commenced.
inventions are among the most popular consumerAdam's most famous brand of chewing gum was
products of modern times, chewing gum andChiclettes. Wrigley launched the Juicy Fruit and
chocolate.Spearmint brands. Both were very successful, though
Chocolate was first harvested and converted into aWrigley came to be a towering beacon of Chicago
consumable drink by the Aztec's in Mexico. Before thecommercial and social life. The Company he founded,
Aztec's, the cacao bean was considered a nuisancein addition to the eponymous Wrigley Building and
plant that neither animals or humans would eat. Tough,Wrigley Field, has seared the name Wrigley as one of
bitter, hard, and inedible, cacao was the plant seeminglyAmerica's great brands.
least likely to have an upside commercial destiny.Inadvertently, the search for new sources of chicle in
The Aztec's took the cacao bean and blended theSouthern Mexico has lead to the discovery of many
meat of the plant with peppers, cane and variousancient Aztec and Mayan cities that the jungle had
liquids to form a drink that was consumed vigorouslydevoured. To this day archaeologists are diligently
as a luxury tonic. The cultivation of cacao became aworking, and discovering lost tombs, pyramids and ruins
significant industry in Mexico and the beans actuallythat might have never been brought from beneath the
represented a type of currency that facilitated trade.jungle's grasp without the commercial desirability of
When Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico, he and hischicle acting as the apex prod for exploration.
Spanish conquistador's were repulsed by the taste ofThe Conquistador's were not interested in foodstuffs.
the cacao spirit drink that the Aztec's consumed inThey were lustily seeking gold, silver, jewels and
such large quantities. They spit it out and writtenmineral wealth. However, after plundering Mexico and
accounts refer to their disgust at the drinks harsh, bitterCentral and South America of all the booty they could
taste. However, through experimentation, they foundpilfer and transferring this haul to Spain they never
that by removing the pablano peppers and otherrecognized the real treasures they had discovered.
Mexican herbs and substituting pure sugar theMany types of grains, vegetables and fruits were
combination produced a sweet, savory foodstuff thatintroduced to Europe and the world as a result of the
was consumable as a drink or a candy.rapaciousness of the Spanish Conquistador's. These
The undesirable cacao bean had found it's initialunintended side effects of the Spanish invasion of the
commercial niche. Plant specimens were transportedNew World were, at that time, considered tertiary
back to Spain and soon the popularity of chocolatebenefits of the conquests. Certainly, the exportation of
spread across Europe. Planting of cacao trees spreadchocolate and chewing gum has provided the modern
across parts of Africa and Asia as demand increasedworld with several of life's most appreciated and
and plantations were required to produce cacao insatisfying products.
huge quantities.Cadbury, Nestle, Mars and Hershey are international
The Aztec's likewise are central to the discovery andbehemoth brands that provide sinful delicacy and
commercialization of chewing gum. In remote parts ofenjoyment to humankind at amazingly affordable
southern Mexico, trees release a type of sap calledpricing. Hundreds of enterprises, large and small, all over
chicle. The Aztec's harvested this chicle resin andthe world produce amazing confections based on the
developed a chewable paste that could be imbuedAztec discoveries of chicle and chocolate. Today, we
with herbs, sweets and flavors. For hundreds of yearsare the beneficiaries of the Aztec genius for taking
the use of chicle as a forerunner of modern chewingunwanted forest by-products and converting them to
gum was common throughout Mexico and parts ofwondrous concoctions that make our mouths salivate
Central America.and tongue's quiver with delight.
Hernando Cortes however did not just conquer the