American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Chocolate (Exhibition)
birth: 2003 June 14
death: 2003 September 7
Exhibition. Opened June 14, 2003 and closed September 7, 2003. Located in Section 3, Floor 3 in Gallery 3 at the American Museum of Natural History. Chocolate examined history, ecology, economics, and the enduring appeal of chocolate.
Summary
Chocolate examined history, ecology, economics, and the enduring appeal of chocolate. The exhibition included a wide range of artifacts from ancient ceremonial to modern machinery. Chocolate and its national tour were developed by The Field Museum. The project was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation. Charles S. Spencer, chairman and curator, Division of Anthropology, was the advisor for the Chocolate installation at the American Museum of Natural History (1; 2, p. 30-31).
Sections included (1):
*Tropical Rainforest, which included a replica of a cacao tree with its seedpods.
*Ancient Maya, which examined the earliest evidence of chocolate consumption and included a small lump of chocolate residue dated to about 437 C.E. found during an excavation conducted in the late 1990s at an archaeological site at Copán, Honduras; incense burner from Honduras decorated with ceramic cacao pods; jewelry worn by the Maya elite; and several lavish vessels used to serve chocolate drinks, including several from the Museum’s collections that date from 600–900 C.E.
*The Aztec section explored the use of cacao throughout Mesoamerica and the role it played in the Aztec’s trade empire in the 1400s and included ritual artifacts illustrating that chocolate was considered a luxury; a ceremonial trumpet, and an interactive recreation of an Aztec marketplace.
*Chocolate in Europe showed the transformation of cacao that took place once the spicy drink was discovered in the 16th century by the Spanish searching for gold in the New World and included molinillos (wooden stirring sticks); porcelain cups and saucers used to serve chocolate; silver chocolate pots; and a facsimile of a letter written by William Cadbury protesting the poor working conditions on plantations.
*Chocolate Manufacturing explored the technology of processing cacao, which did not change much from the time of the Maya until the late 18th century. The section included an interactive workstation showing the making of a chocolate bar; a selection of antique and contemporary marketing materials, including Dutch chocolate tins; novelty molds in the shapes of Santa Claus, a bunny on a scooter, and other animals; and painted glass signs and advertisements.
*Chocolate in the Global Market illustrated cacao trading in the world market and included a running ticker with real-time prices from the Coffee, Sugar, and Cocoa Exchange at the New York Board of Trade alongside maps illustrating where cacao is grown and consumed.
*Cacao Growers examined the daily work of cacao growers all over the world to illustrate how modern farmers harvest, prepare, and ship their crops and included machetes for cutting the pods off the tree; a net bag for collecting cacao pods; woven baskets for gathering loose seeds; and manta mats for drying them; and an example of a representational coffin made in Ghana, a 7-foot-long, 2½-foot-high coffin in the shape of a cacao pod attached to a 3-foot-high tree trunk, a 20th-century piece owned by the Museum.
*Chocolate Today illustrated contemporary uses and meanings of chocolate and included foil-wrapped chocolate coins given to children as Hanukkah gelt, chocolate offerings for the Mexican Day of the Dead, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate for Valentine’s Day, and pumpkin-shaped baskets that might hold wrapped candies for Halloween trick-or-treaters.
Related programming for the exhibition included a conference, The Science of Chocolate: New Discoveries; specially commissioned chocolate sculptures on view in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda; chocolate tastings; lectures and panel discussions; demonstrations and performances; and family programs. A Chocolate Café was created on the fourth floor by Restaurant Associates in conjunction with the exhibition (1).
The exhibition had two accompanying publications, Chocolate: The Nature of Indulgence and Chocolate: Riches from the Rainforest (1)
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.