These are the tropical rain forests
of Central America...
Where the elements combine
to create one of the richest ecosystems
on the planet.
In the shade of the forest canopy...
Lives one of the world's most prized trees.
The early civilizations who made their home here
venerated this plant.
A symbol of fertility and abundance.
A gift from nature.
Cacao.
The plant that gives us chocolate.
This tree is sensitive.
It only flourishes close to the equator.
Like all good things,
its fruit takes time to mature.
Six months pass before the pods are ripe...
And ready to harvest.
It takes care and an expert eye.
One wrong cut could damage the cushions
which produce the precious flowers
and the promise of more fruits.
This is Julio.
From the small farm in Belize...
He keeps alive a tradition
that goes back 3,000 years.
Transforming these seeds
with their coat of sticky pulp
requires dedication and patience.
Under the heat of the equatorial sun,
the beans are left for days to dry.
As their color deepens,
their flavor awakens.
Only then are they ready
to become chocolate.
As dawn breaks,
Julio and his team
are already hard at work.
In the cool of the early morning,
the process of heating cacao
to make chocolate begins.
Granite wheels blend cacao butter
evenly through the cacao liqueur...
A process that can't be hurried.
Gradually, the mixture evolves.
Gritty cacao is spun
into silky, liquid chocolate.
Only a few chocolate makers like Julio
exist in Belize,
creating chocolate from cacao
grown and ripened in the surrounding forest.
It's his passion
and a reminder to local Mayans
that cacao is in their blood.
Chocolate belongs to them.
Deep in the forests of Julio's homeland...
Relics of ancient Mayan cities.
Wealthy and culturally rich...
The Mayans traded across this region and beyond.
Here, cacao was used as currency.
But transformed into liquid chocolate,
it had special meaning.
It was consumed to mark rites of passage,
to honor marriage,
birth, and death...
And used to celebrate the abundance of life.
Centuries after Mayans
first turned cacao into chocolate,
this exotic delicacy arrived in Europe,
sparking a sweet revolution.
In the 19th century,
a Belgian apothecary
coated his pills in liquid chocolate
to disguise their bitter taste.
The pills proved so popular
that the healer turned chocolate maker.
Soon, delectable treats lined
the continent's most fashionable countertops.
Chocolate making became a fine art.
A chocolatier is part artisan
and part scientist.
Carefully working the cooling chocolate
makes it glossy and smooth.
Its physical properties mean
it easily melts in the mouth.
The sweet scent is known to produce
a feeling of calm in the mind.
Chocolate even contains the same chemicals
released by our brains
when we fall in love.
No wonder we offer it as gifts
to those we cherish the most.
Each bite is designed
to be a sensory delight...
Pleasing to both the eye
and the heart.
Back where cacao first grew,
chocolate remains more than a sweet treat.
Lake Atitlán in Guatemala
is the spiritual center of Mayan culture.
Local people call it
"the navel of the world."
The place where all life began.
In the village of San Pedro,
women keep alive the ancient cacao culture.
Descended from Mayan tribes,
they are the protectors of the cacao.
Working with the beans connects them
with their ancestors.
Making chocolate is about more than pleasure.
It's a sacred ritual.
Releasing the roasted beans from their shells
reveals the precious nibs inside.
Using a stone mano and metlatl
that's been handed down through generations,
the chocolate maker grinds the nibs.
Her work is a prayer...
An offering to the gods
for the miracle of life.
She conjures the cacao into a rich paste...
To make a ceremonial chocolate drink.
Friends and family
gather beside the shores of the lake
to mark a change in the lunar calendar.
They celebrate the elements,
the source of all life.
It's an age-old tradition.
The elixir of cacao and water
is offered to the fire and to the sky.
Nature's gift returned.