Religious views also influenced explorers when traded goods, particularly chocolate, a resource unique to Native American societies and particularly considered sacred to ancient cultures of Mesoamerica like the Aztecs, later transformed into a European commodity. To properly understand the origin of chocolate's European cultural integration, it is crucial to recognize the meaning of chocolate in its original cultural context. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Mainly because chocolate, when first tasted by Europeans, was an unrecognizable substance compared to what it would become after being assimilated into mainstream European society. This was particularly relevant to European religious society because in Mesoamerican cultures chocolate was a drink endowed with the essence of the sacred, and was obviously prepared with spices and recipes that included only ingredients native to the Americas. For example, chocolate was a substance that was used in Mesoamerican religious sacrificial rituals as it symbolized the spiritual powers of blood "ritually consumed during betrothal and marriage ceremonies and presented to visiting dignitaries." This intrinsic connection between chocolate and blood is fundamental to understanding the original context of sweets because through this relationship, chocolate proves to be more than just a drink to be enjoyed. Rather, chocolate represented life and spirituality and was handled with the utmost respect as it had extreme cultural value to the Aztec people. Chocolate has played a huge role not only in spiritual but also social conventions due to its value and sanctity. And Christian missionaries, leaders, and colonialists saw these gatherings as a great threat that contradicted their own religious beliefs. In fact, “the Spanish missionary Diego Duran, who heard this story from Indian informants, reported that 'when the time came to drink the chocolate that had been brought to them, the drink most appreciated by the Indians, they were filled with fear.' Remember: this is just one example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. And once again, the sacred religious value that chocolate had in Aztec society was highly neglected by Europeans to the point where this divine good was shipped to the Old World and was mass marketed, commodified and appropriated. Europeans found a way to avoid the religious and social essence of chocolate as accepting this meaning was completely against their European conception of Christianity. It was a substance considered dangerous and powerful to Europeans.