Belize Day Three: A Mayan Treat

Today was a treat, literally.  We went and viewed some Mayan ruins, one of the few sites in all of Belize that has not yet found evidence of human sacrifices (we like to keep it PG on our educational tours, obviously) and then went to a chocolate making factory.  You heard me right.  Chocolate.  It’s a fabulous all-organic and sustainable family-operated farm called Ixcaocao, Goddess of Chocolate.  When we arrived, waves of the smell of chocolate nearly lit my olfactory senses on overload. 

For the next ninety minutes, we got to de-shell our own cacao beans, crush them like they did thousands of years ago with a mortar and pestle, and put our creamy all-natural chocolate into molds.  Throughout the process we got to try so many different types of chocolate made on the premises, as well as hot chocolate, the original form of cacao consumed by the Mayan people.  Afterwards, we obviously got to buy things, and so I indulged in some coconut chocolate bars and chocolate wine.  DE-LICIOUS!

Our wonderful guide, Roberto.

CACAO!

I don't think Chrissie, our group faculty, likes chocolate at all.

Grinding chocolate with mortar and pestle.

 The Jag.