Peru: Cacao’s 10-Million-Year-Old Origin Story
- marco097307
- May 23
- 2 min read
From ancient civilizations to today’s chocolate bars, cacao’s journey is a story rooted in cultivation, reverence, and trade.
While many associate chocolate with European confectioners or Central American traditions, the true story of cacao stretches far deeper—into the dense, ancient rainforests of the Amazon.
The Origins of Cacao
Chocolate’s origins are often linked to Mesoamerica and, by association, so are cacao’s origins, but this is incorrect.
Research by Evert Thomas et al. (2012) and Juan C. Motamayor et al. (2008) suggests that cacao originated in the Amazon basin—in a region comprised mostly of what is now Peru and parts of Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.
What Research Tells Us About Cacao’s Origin
Theobroma cacao is one of the oldest species in the genus Theobroma, having evolved around 10 million years ago in the Amazon basin.
More recent research led by the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT confirmed that the highest concentration of genetic varieties (16 of 25 genetic groups worldwide) are present in Peru, further supporting it as cacao’s birthplace.
You might be thinking, “Couldn’t cacao have migrated from Central America to South America?” That is a common theory, but the Isthmus of Panama was only formed roughly 3 million years ago, which is when the megafaunal seed dispersal between the Americas began, known as the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), and when that migration would have happened.
If cacao migrated from South America to Central America via GABI, we wouldn’t see such a drastic jump in genetics from the Amazon basin to Pacific coastal Guatemala.
How, then, did cacao migrate north from South America to Central America? Well, there’s very strong evidence to suggest naval trade is the culprit.
Carbon-14 testing done on pottery discovered in 5,300+ year-old burial sites in Northern Peru (Piura), confirm that the world’s first traces of cacao domestication came from the Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón region.
Spondylus and Strombus seashells found in the pottery and jewellery at these burial sites further suggests the Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón cultures traded with coastal cultures and were, thus, likely the first to have commercialize it.
The Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón cultures traversed the shallowest point in the Andes, called El Paso de Porculla (2,200 m.a.s.l. – now a known trade route) and engaged in trade with coastal communities, who in turn engaged in naval trade with other faraway communities leading to cacao’s migration north into Central America and then onto the Caribbean, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
This vital discovery puts Peru at the centre of the newly-accepted origin story of cacao—a place where ancient civilizations cultivated it and traded it with coastal civilizations who then engaged in naval trade that opened it up to the world.
We, the cacao nerds at Cacao Life, are carrying that baton by helping put Peru’s fine-flavoured cacao in the hands of artisan and bean-to-bar chocolate makers across the globe.
And, if you’re interested in taking a Cacao Origin Eco Tour (we do those, too) where we visit co-ops and their farmers as well as immerse ourselves in the food and culture these regions have to offer, please visit our website for details.
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