Cacao Ceremony Online Gathering

Cacao is a beautiful plant spirit with a complex history. Ixcacao, the goddess of the cacao, is depicted as a woman with an abundance of breast-like pods growing from her body. The name “Ix” comes from the Mayan Nawal and it means “Spirit of the Mother Earth”, “Magician”, and “Jaguar”. It refers to a type of magic that only the deepest parts of nature can hold.

The name cacao has origins from the Nahuatl language, which is ancient, and has influenced many indigenous languages here in Latin America. Today, the word “cacao” is the same in English, as well as Spanish. The Spanish language uses genders, so nouns that end in “-a”are generally feminine and “-o” are masculine. Referred to in the feminine because of the connection to the female spirit, “CacaosiTA” became “cacaosiTO” when it made the transition from food to currency. In this way, the medicine honors both the feminine and masculine in its story. As a farm family member insightfully posed, “We must honor both the ta and the to.” Together, through the Cacao Source Training Program, cacao lovers dove into the history and cultivation of this magical bean as well as spent intimate time learning history and tradition with Quiche Mayan Elders Nana Odylia and Tata Juan Carlos.