Ancient Trade Routes Revealed Through Chocolate's Bitter Roots The discovery of cacao residue in ancient pottery from northern Georgia is a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the Mississippian people who built sprawling cities and mounds that still awe us today.
The find, however, raises more questions than it answers about the complex networks of trade that crisscrossed pre Columbian America.
The nearest cacao trees would have been over 3,000 kilometers away from the Etowah site in Georgia, a sobering reminder of the ambitious trading endeavors undertaken by these ancient civilizations.