Tidbits About Chocolate

Years ago I did some research on the history of Chocolate, primarily because I question myself as to whether or not my 19th Century characters would have the confection we know as chocolate. Today I'm sharing some of these tidbits with all of you and I hope you enjoy them.

When Columbus came to the Americas he discovered the local chocolate drink. However it was not sweetened and the cocoa beans he brought back to King Ferdinand was overlook by the other items he returned to the Old World with.

1519 When Cortés came to Mexico he tasted the hot chocolate drink. The Cocao beans were grounded into a paste, mixed with spices including vanilla and then honey was added.

1615 This drink then went back to Spain and was enjoyed by the royal court. The ingredients of this secret beverage was hidden from all and became the drink of the court. History has it that when the Spanish Princess Maria Theresa was betrothed to Louis XIV of France, she gave her fiancé an engagement gift of chocolate, packaged in an elegantly ornate chest. Their marriage was symbolic of the marriage of chocolate in the Spanish-Franco culture. Some record the movement from Spain to France was in 1606 but personally I like the romantic story.

From there it quickly moved out of the royal courts.

1657 "Chocolate Houses" began to open in London. In much the same way that we have Coffee shops today.

1674 It was introduced in rolls and cakes.

1730 the Duke of Alba brought it into the low country as he traveled about and that dropped the price to $3 per pound. Prior to that cocoa beans were traded almost as high as gold through out different times in history.

1828 the cocoa press was invented squeezing out some of the cocoa butter giving it a smoother consistency. Cocoa Powder was also introduced through this process.

1849 Cadbury Brothers displayed eating chocolate in 1849 at an exhibition in Bingley Hall at Birmingham, England.

1851 Cocoa was introduced to the United States on Prince Albert's Expedition. Yet, chocolate wasn't really accepted by the American colonists until fishermen from Gloucester, Massachusetts, accepted cocoa beans as payment for cargo in tropical America.

For the most part Cocoa was a drink for the men. In the 17th Century it was introduced to Children.

1876 Daniel Peter of Vevey, Switzerland, experimented for eight years before finally inventing a means of making milk chocolate for eating. He brought his creation to a Swiss firm that today is the world's largest producer of chocolate: Nestle.

1879 Rodolphe Lindt of Berne, Switzerland, produced chocolate that melted on the tongue. He invented "conching," a means of heating and rolling chocolate to refine it.

1913 Swiss confiseur Jules Sechaud of Montreux introduced a process for manufacturing filled chocolates.


Lynn A. Coleman is an award winning & best-selling author who makes her home in Keystone Heights, Florida, with her husband of 42 years. Lynn's latest novel "The Shepherd's Betrothal" is the third book in her Historical St. Augustine, FL. series.

Check out her 19th Century Historical Tidbits Blog if you like exploring different tidbits of history.

The Mayan Culture and the Ruins of San Gervasio

The Mayan Calendar. In the center is the goddess Ixchel.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Many of us became interested in the ancient Mayan culture a few years ago, due to the speculation that the world would end on December 21, 2012. These speculations were based on the fact that the Mayan Calendar, which was known to be quite accurate in past predictions, ended on that date. Obviously, we are still here, and the interest in the Mayans seems to have died down again.

My husband Dave and I outside
the San Gervasio ruins, posing with
a woman in Mayan costume

However, my husband and I both love history, and on a recent Caribbean cruise we jumped at the chance to see some of the Mayan Ruins of Mexico. We selected a shore excursion to San Gervasio, located in Cozumel, and found the information our guide shared with us to be truly interesting. I thought you might like to hear some of what we learned about the Mayan culture and the San Gervasio ruins.

Prior to the influence of the Spanish, San Gervasio was called Tantun Cuzamil, which translates to Flat Rock in the Place of the Swallows. While many of the other Mayan ruins like Chichen Itza or Tulum were dedicated to human sacrifices meant to please the thirteen Mayan gods, San Gervasio was different. This location was where Mayan women would come to worship Ixchel, the goddess of fertility and healing. Mayan women would take pilgrimages to this locale at least once in their lifetime, bearing gifts for the goddess in the hopes she would bless them with a fruitful marriage. Also, as expectant mothers neared the end of their pregnancies, those who could would come to San Gervasio in order to bring their children in to the world while surrounded by other women. Our tour guide told us that this location was selected because they found natural wells or cenotes that would fill with fresh water. The expectant mothers would climb down into these wells and rest in the life-giving waters.

One of the large cenotes found at San Gervasio. 
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Among the structures at San Gervasio, there is an arch, which signified the entrance to the shrine. A stone pathway leads from the coastal areas of Cozumel miles away to this archway, and on into the center of the ruins. The underside of the arch was interesting, in that it was formed like an inverted staircase, a building style that was common to the eastern coast of Cozumel. The Mayans would leave gifts and offerings to Ixchel at the entrance before entering the sanctuary of San Gervasio.

The Arch, with stone pathway--the ancient entrance to San Gervasio.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Another structure is known as “Manitas,” or Little Hands. It got its name because of several red handprints on one of the walls. The structure’s purpose is not clear—some say it may have been a residence while others say it was for ceremonial purposes.

Manitas--one of the structures at San Gervasio. It got it's name from the several red handprints on the face of the building.
One is visible where the red arrow is pointing.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Around an area known as the Central Plaza, there were several buildings. I wasn’t able to photograph them all, but here you can see the backside of a structure known as “The Columns.” It contains seven columns of stone, with a bench and altar area in the center, as well as a place for burials along the sides of the building.

The back side of the building known as The Pillars.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Under one large thatched roof, two structures stood. On the right side is “The Murals,” a building that contained hand-painted geometric designs in blue, red, ochre, and black. To the left was “The Alamo,” which contained an altar where offerings of worship could be left. Our tour guide explained that the Murals was likely the shrine to the goddess Ixchel, and the Alamo was likely the shrine for the god Itzamna.

There were several other ruins around this Central Plaza, but our tour didn’t have time to hear about them all. After learning about The Murals and The Alamo, we were given free time to walk around on our own or explore the gift shops at the front of the park. As we walked around a bit more, I became fascinated with the wildlife. I saw a hummingbird, which I wasn’t quick enough to capture on film, as well as two large iguanas sunning themselves on the ruins of two of the Central Plaza buildings.

Iguanas were everywhere. This one was sunning himself
atop one of the ancient buildings.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

This was a second iguana on another building
just across the walkway from the first.
© Jennifer Uhlarik

Overall, this was the highlight of our trip. Our tour guide was a wealth of information who made the history of the location come alive. If you get the chance to visit San Gervasio, I highly recommend it.

Now it’s your turn: Have you visited any Mayan Ruins? If so, which one(s)? If not, what other cultures are you interested, and have you had the opportunity to visit any locales important to that culture?

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

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The Oregon Trail Romance Collection

Nine romantic adventures take readers along for a ride on the Oregon Trail where daily challenges force travelers to evaluate the things that are most precious to them—including love. Enjoy the trip through a fascinating part of history through the eyes of remarkably strong characters who stop at famous landmarks along the way. Watch as their faith is strengthened and as love is born despite unique circumstances. Discover where the journey ends for each of nine couples.

Pancho Villa: Outlaw or Hero?

Pancho Villa in the center

At 2:30 a.m., March 9, 1916, Pancho Villa and 500 men attacked the 13th U.S. Cavalry at Camp Furlong near Columbus, New Mexico, the first attack on American soil since 1812. Despite prior knowledge that Villa and his men pillaged, raped, and murdered their way toward the border, the cavalry was caught by surprise.

Reasons for the cavalry’s sluggishness? Some of the troops had been drinking. But more important, all of their rifles were chained and locked in gun racks. Even so, the cavalry managed to get organized and fought off the Villistas, killing many in the process.

During their retreat, the Villistas stopped at Columbus, New Mexico for a looting and window shooting spree. For three hours, bullets struck houses amid shouts in the streets of “Viva Villa! Viva Mexico! Muerte a los Americanos!” They were among the first to shout, “Death to Americans!”

The town was set on fire. Villa’s men gained nothing beyond a few dollars and some merchandise from the burnt stores. The terror continued until about 7:00 a.m. when Villa finally rode away. The smoke-filled streets of Columbus littered with the dead and wounded, fourteen American soldiers and ten civilians were killed in the raid.

Controversial Francisco “Pancho” Villa’s original name was Doroteo Arango (June 5,

Pancho Villa
the revolutionary

1878 – July 20, 1923). The son of a sharecropper farmer, he became a Mexican revolutionary and guerrilla leader. When Villa was 15, his father died, so Villa worked to protect and help support his mother and four siblings. One day he discovered the owner of the hacienda attacking his sister. He shot the man and ran for the mountains, spending six years on the run. There he joined a group of fugitives.

He changed his name while on the run to avoid getting caught by authorities. In the late 1890s, he worked as a miner in Chihuahua in addition to selling stolen cattle. He soon added more serious crimes to his record: robbing banks and stealing from the wealthy.

Though he started as a bandit, he was later inspired by reformer Francisco Modero and helped him win the Mexican Revolution. After a coup by Victoriano Herta, Villa opposed the dictator and fought many battles against him. He was a very effective revolutionary leader. However, in May 1911, Villa resigned from command because of differences he had with another commander, Pascual Orozco, Jr.

Pancho Villa
the folk hero 

On May 29, 1911, Villa married Maria Luz Corral and tried to settle down to a quiet life, although she was not the only woman in his life. Unfortunately, political unrest again appeared in Mexico. Villa gathered troops and chose his sides. He was almost executed when accused of stealing a horse but got a last minute reprieve. He was imprisoned but later escaped.

Villa won battle after battle during the next several years. Then Mexico became embroiled in a civil war. The United States supported Villa’s enemy, Venustiano Carranza. Thus, the attack on the town of Columbus, New Mexico happened as reprisal.

On May 20, 1920, Carranza was assassinated and Adolfo De la Huerta became the interim president of Mexico. De la Huerta wanted peace in Mexico so negotiated with Villa for his retirement. Part of the peace agreement was that Villa would receive a hacienda in Chihuahua. But he enjoyed only a short retirement.

On July 20, 1923, though Villa usually traveled with a number of bodyguards, this

Pancho Villa & Maria Luz Corral

time he went with only four associates. On his drive home, in a 1919 Dodge roadster that can be viewed at the Historical Museum of the Mexican Revolution, someone shouted out "Viva Villa!" and seven riflemen fired more than forty bullets into the car. His body was found with his hand reaching for his gun. He was 45 years old.

Pancho Villa retired

By stealing from the rich and often giving to the poor, some saw Pancho Villa as a modern-day Robin Hood. Villa captured the imagination of many Americans and his exploits were regularly filmed by a Hollywood movie company. He even signed a contract with Hollywood’s Mutual Film Company (1913) to have several of his battles filmed. Some report he advocated for the poor and wanted agrarian reform. Though he was a killer, a bandit, and a revolutionary leader, many remember him also as a folk hero.

~~~~~~~~

What do you think? Is Pancho Villa a bad guy or good guy? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janet Chester Bly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Janet Chester Bly has written and co-written 32 nonfiction and fiction books with her late husband, award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Her published works include Wind in the Wires, Book 1, Trails of Reba Cahill. She is now working on Book 2 to be released later this fall. Find out more at website: http://www.BlyBooks.com  or blog: http://www.blybooks.com/blog/

Excerpt from Stephen Bly's novel, Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon:

Bronc hooted. “I asked Big Margarita to marry me six times one night.”

Cowboy For a Rainy Afternoon

Shorty sat straight up and yanked off his hat. “You did?”

“Yep. Her and every other woman in the cantina that night.”
“And they all turned you down?” I asked.
Bronc grinned. “It was my lucky night.”
Quirt balanced his revolver on the worn slick knee of his suit pants. I couldn’t tell if he had bullets in five or all six chambers. “I heard she cold-cocked one of Pancho Villa’s men when they made that raid across the border.”
“She cold-cocked his horse,” Shorty reported.
I swallowed hard and jammed my cap gun back into the holster. “His horse?”
“Yep. That Mexican hit the ground runnin’ toward the border. He might still be running,” Shorty said. “Not even Villa could face the wrath of Big Margarita with a lead pipe in her hand.”
“Is she the ole gal who gave you that black eye?” Granddaddy asked.
Shorty sighed. “Two of them.”
“She gave you two black eyes?” I quizzed.
Shorty shrugged. “Little Brother, some men is slow learners.” 

Gadsden Makes a Purchase

By Nancy J. Farrier

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase made history. The United States bought 828,000 square miles of land from France for a price of 15 million dollars, approximately three cents per acre. This purchase included land from Louisiana up to the border of Canada, encompassing all or part of the land for 15 states. In 1853, the United States made a smaller, yet crucial acquisition referred to as The Gadsden Purchase.

James Gadsden, once a soldier serving under General Andrew Jackson, later worked for President Monroe. After Andrew Jackson became President, Gadsden fell out of favor. He’d always had an interest in railroads, and in 1839 he was appointed President of the South Carolina Railroad Company. His dream was to see a southern transcontinental railroad and he began to work toward that end.

In 1846 the United States entered into war with Mexico. The war lasted until 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed and the United States gained ownership of much of the western half of what is now the continental United States of America. In the Arizona Territory, the new border ran along the Gila River, miles north of the current border.

Even after the Treaty had been signed, tensions between the two countries were high. Border disputes continued, and there was protection for new settlers heading west. Meanwhile, James Gadsden had been advised that the best route for the southern transcontinental railroad would be through the territory still held by Mexico. As the U.S. Minister to Mexico, Gadsden was sent by President Franklin Pierce and the Secretary of State to renegotiate the southern border of Eastern New Mexico and what would become the Arizona Territory. The change would accommodate the perfect route for the proposed railroad.

In September of 1853, Gadsden began talks with Mexican President Antonio de Santa Anna. After months of negotiations an agreement was reached. The proposed purchase price presented to the American government for approval was $15,000,000 for 45,000 square miles of territory. In April of 1854, the ratified agreement approved the amount of $10,000,000 for 29,670 square miles of land. Pierce signed the document and Santa Anna signed it on June 8, 1854. The procurement of the land figured out to a cost of thirty-three cents per acre.

The new border ran along the Rio Grande River and included the little presidio of Tucson. It would be several years before the United States of America would provide protection through its cavalry. In 1854, the inhabitants asked for a territorial government. One of the proposed names for Arizona was Gadsonia. Arizona became a Territory in 1863, and became a State in 1912.

Soon after his famous purchase, James Gadsden lost his position as U.S. Minister to Mexico. He also didn’t live to see the fulfillment of his dream in the southern route of the transcontinental railroad. President Santa Anna was ousted because of the unpopularity of his decision to sell the land to the United States of America.

Without Mr. Gadsden purchase we wouldn’t have some of the colorful history from the Southwest. Just think if there had been no Tombstone with a shootout involving Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp. The beautiful Mission San Xavier del Bac south of Tucson wouldn’t be part of the United States of America. Part of our rich heritage includes Mr. Gadsdens purchase.

I used to live in the part of Arizona that joined the United States of America when Gadsden made his purchase. Have you ever traveled to Southern Arizona? Have you visited Tucson or the Catalina Mountains? Have you ever traveled the southern route by train?

Coming July 2013

Nancy J Farrier is an award winning author who lives in Southern California in the Mojave Desert. She loves the Southwest and interesting historical past. Nancy and her husband have five children. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats, and spend time with her family. Nancy is represented by Karen Ball of The Steve Laube Literary Agency. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.