The Mundo Maya's Chocolate Trail

Of the many special tours being offered throughout the Mundo Maya countries in the year 2012, the most delicious are no doubt the chocolate tours. It is no secret that the Maya have a long history of consuming cacao [2]. A new book by Sharon Greenhill, Chocolate: Pathway to the Gods, also celebrates this.

The two best places to hop on the modern chocolate trail are southern Belize and Mérida, Mexico. In Belize, you'll find the annual Cacao Festival in late May, 2012, will be celebrated with all kinds of special events for next year. For the specifics of where to go in Belize, check out my article and slide show in Budget Travel, "On the Chocolate Trail." [3]

In Mérida, chocolate maker Ki’ Xocolatl (www.ki-xocolatl.com [4]) has a four-day culinary adventure they call The Great Cacao Expedition which offers chocolate cooking workshops in a colonial mansion, visits to Maya ceremonial cities, and a day at a cacao and spice plantation.

Also in Mérida, Casa Frederick Catherwood (tel. 999/165-4986, info [at] casacatherwood [dot] com) and MexicaChica Getaways (tel. 999/901-5430, U.S. tel. 214/329-9754, www.mexicachica.com [5]) are offering intensive five-day 2012 Chocolate Expeditions; includes visits to archaeological sites and tours of a cacao plantation and a museum.