The Maya and Aztecs: In ancient Mesoamerica, cacao beans were so valuable that they were used to pay for everything from food to taxes.
Fixed Exchange Rates: We actually have historical records of the “prices.” For example:
- 1 bean could buy a large tomato.
- 10 beans could buy a rabbit.
- 100 beans could buy a whole turkey.
The First “Counterfeiters”: Because beans were money, some people actually tried to “forge” them! They would hollow out the shells of cacao beans and fill them with mud or clay to trick merchants.
Taxes in Chocolate: The Aztec Empire actually demanded “tribute” (taxes) from conquered regions in the form of cacao beans to fill the royal storehouses.
