[Aztlan] Chocolate

[Jerry Offner]

Before the lists goes off on some odd tangents regarding the origin of the
words we know (in this case in English) as cocoa, cacao and chocolate, it
would be best for commenters to go ahead and read the article by Dakin and
Wichman and then comment.  It is quite a good and courageous piece of work.
There is interesting information about raising and producing cacao also.

Things change in Mesoamerican studies, although at a glacial pace, and
typically, after a quick and then long deluge of ill-founded opposition.

Jerry Offner 




> [Original Message]
> From: Jorge Pérez de Lara <jorgepl at estudioelias.com>
> To: Aztlan <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
> Date: 9/27/2007 9:44:42 AM
> Subject: Re: [Aztlan] Chocolate
>
> It had always been my understanding that chocol-atl (from whence our 
> "chocolate" came) was a "nahuatlization" of the original Maya name: 
> chocol-ha', meaning "hot water." 'Chocol-atl' would basically have the 
> same meaning, although one has to wonder why Nahuatl-speakers would go 
> for only a half translation (i.e., keeping the Maya "chocol" for "hot"), 
> rather than translating the whole name into their language. Could it be 
> that the original name (chocol-ha') was mangled by the so-called 
> "Mexicanized" Maya traders of the Gulf coast and reached the Central 
> Highlands in such mangled form? I remember Linda Schele citing Aztec 
> sources that speak of the Gulf-coast trading region of Nonohualco, 
> glossed as "Place of the Broken Speech."
>
> Jorge
>
> John F. Schwaller wrote:
>
> > There is linguistic evidence.  In an article in Ancient Mesoamerica, 
> > Dakin and Wichmann suggest that the word chocolate has a Nahuatl 
> > origin and refers to the sound of the molinillo so that the frothing 
> > might have been an important component from before the conquest.
> > Ancient Mesoamerica, vol. 11:1, Jan. 2000, pp. 55-75 "Cacao and 
> > Chocolate"
>
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