ALBUQUERQUE — More than 1,000 years before Starbucks, caffeine was an international market mover, with ancient civilizations trading holly and cacao-based chocolate beverages between what is now modern-day Mexico, the Southwest and the South, according to a new study.
Led by University of New Mexico anthropology professor Patricia Crown, the study says the trade lasted for around 700 years, likely driven by a pre-Hispanic caffeine addiction.
It confirms their popularity of cacao-based chocolate beverages and adds the holly drink that before the study was not known to be consumed in the Southwest, Crown said.
Holly, which was used to make a caffeinated tea, was grown in what is now the South.
Researchers found caffeine on shards from jars, bowls and pitchers located at archaeological sites throughout present-day New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, where neither holly nor cacao grows.
“For people who had a diet consisting of corn, bean and squash, the drinks provided a kick,” Crown said.
