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The document discusses the history and importance of chocolate in human civilization. It notes that chocolate originated in Mesoamerica over 3000 years ago and was prized by the Aztecs and Mayans for its taste. Cocoa beans were used as currency and their cultivation was tightly regulated. The Spanish conquest of the 16th century introduced chocolate to Europe, though it was initially consumed only as a bitter drink by the wealthy. Mass production and new technologies in the 18th and 19th centuries made chocolate affordable for the general population.Read less