Traders brought Central American cacao to Georgia 1,000 years ago
Archaeologists have discovered chemical traces of cacao in 11th-century potsherds found at the Etowah site in Georgia. This evidence suggests that the Mississippian culture maintained extensive trade networks reaching over 3,000 kilometers to Central America.
Why it matters
It challenges previous assumptions about the scope of pre-colonial trade routes and the cultural sophistication of Mississippian societies.
sweet discovery Traders brought Central American cacao to Georgia 1,000 years ago “We built this city on good cacao” does have a nice ring to it.
The article reports on archaeological findings using neutral, evidence-based language without political framing.
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