Cacahuatl (“Undead Chocolate”), from Chapter VIII of the book. Ingredients: Criollo Cacao lavado, ‘cacao blanco' , Vanilla, Cymbopetalum penduliflorum, Piper auritum.
Split criollo Cacao pod, San Antonio Suchitequepez, Guatemala 2011
Criollo cacao pod, San Antonio Suchitequepez, Guatemala 2011
Criollo Cacao flowers, San Antonio Suchitequepez, Guatemala 2011
Woman selling garlands of Frangipani flowers (Plumeria rubra), Juchitan, Mexico, 2018
Cacao pod in the branches, San Antonio Suchitequepez, Guatemala, 2011
Trinitario Cacao pod, San Antonio Suchitequepez, Guatemala 2011
Calliandra sp. flower, Mexico City botanical garden, 2008
J-P with fresh Cacao, San Antonio Suchitequepez, Guatemala, 2011
Pimienta dioica (Allspice), Tikal, Guatemala 2011
Piper auritum inflorescence, San José, Guatemala, 2011
Pouteria sapota (Mamey Sapote tree) leaves, Tikal, Guatemala, 2011
Quararibea funebris (Rosita de Cacao) in bud, Oaxaca, Mexico, 2008
Magnolia mexicana in flower, Mexico City botanic garden, Mexico, 2008
Dried Magnolia dealbata flowers
Capsicum sp. (Chilli), Oaxaca, Mexico, 2008
Bixa orellana (Achiote) pods, Alta Verapaz, Lanquin, Guatemala, 2011
Guacoyules, or Corozo Palm seeds (Attalea cohune)
The Devil’s Hand Flower, Chiranthodendron pentadactylon (Manita de Leon), Mexico City botanic garden, Mexico, 2008
Dried Manita de Leon (Chiranthodendron pentadactylon) flowers
Pouteria sapota (Mamey Sapote) tree, Tikal, Guatemala, 2011
Pouteria sapota (Mamey Sapote) fruit, Tikal, Guatemala, 2011
Pouteria sapota (Mamey Sapote) dried seeds
Calliandra sp., Mexico City botanic garden, Mexico, 2008
Cacahuatl drawing from Codex Badianus, c.1552
Mechanically ground Cacao, Rex'hua, Guatemala, 2011
Doña Ca'al performs manual separation of cocoa butter from cocoa mass, Rex'hua, Guatemala, 2011
Manteca de Cacao (cocoa butter) cooling off in a water butt, Rex'hua, Guatemala, 2011
Doña Ca'al winnowing Cacao, Rex'hua, Guatemala, 2011
Chocolate herviendo con agua (chocolate boiled with water) for making cocoa butter. Rex'hua, Guatemala, 2011
A cool drink of Pozol, Palenque, Mexico, 2011
Señora Navarro-Gomez toasting Cacao to make Tejate, Oaxaca, Mexico, 2008
Tejate for sale, Oaxaca city, Oaxaca, Mexico, 2011
Toasting criollo Cacao on two comales, London, U.K., 2011
Shelling toasted Cacao, London, U.K., 2011
Grinding chocolate spices, London, U.K., 2011
Chocolate-ready spice blend, London, U.K., 2011
Adding the spices for grind #2, London, U.K., 2011
Cooling chocolate disks, London, U.K., 2011
The finished product - Mesoamerican hot chocolate (with added maple syrup), Yorkshire, UK, 2011
Trinitario Cacao flower, Don Angel’s farm, San Antonio Suchitequepez, Guatemala, 2011
Cacao tree in the mural from Cacaxtla's 'Venus temple', reproduction in Museo de Antropologico, Mexico City, 2011
Achiote (Bixa orellana), Coban, Guatemala, 2018
Popcorn Flower, Izquixochitl (Bourreria huanita), Juchitan, Mexico, 2018
Señora Vásquez winnows toasted Cacao, Juchitan, Mexico, 2018
Señora Vásquez serves Bu'pu in the town square, Juchitan, Mexico, 2018
Chupipe fruit (Gonolobus niger), Acayucan, Mexico, 2018
The Frangipani flower, Niik'te, Cacaloxochitl (Plumeria alba), Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, 2018
Cacao Blanco - fermented Pataxtle (Theobroma bicolor), Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, 2018
Chef Carina Santiago supervises the preparation of Chocolate Atole, Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, 2018
Atole coming to the boil, Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, 2019
Doña Santiago prepares the foam for Chocolate Atole, Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, 2019
Chocolate Atole, Teotitlan del Valle, Mexico, 2019
Doña Rosa Gregorio with toasted Cocolmeca (Smilax aristolochiifolia), Ojitlan, Mexico, 2019
Doña Gregorio froths Popo, Ojitlan, Mexico, 2018
The Jaguar Tree, Theobroma bicolor, Ojitlan, Mexico, 2018
Toasted Pataxtle, or Cacao símarron: Theobroma bicolor seeds, Ojitlan, Mexico, 2018
N’ched (Gonolobus barbatus), San Mateo del Mar, Mexico, 2018
Mexican hot chocolate with traditional spices (Vanilla, Chilli, Allspice, Rosita de Cacao, Magnolia flower, & Annatto)