{
  "id": 11499451,
  "title": "Ancient Pottery Reveals the Earliest Known Traces of Chocolate East of the Mississippi, Painting a Picture of Connection in the Americas",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/ancient-pottery-reveals-the-earliest-known-traces-of-chocolate-east",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-02T18:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Smithsonian",
    "slug": "smithsonian",
    "url": "https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ancient-pottery-reveals-the-earliest-known-traces-of-chocolate-east-of-the-mississippi-painting-a-picture-of-connection-in-the-americas-180989559/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The discovery of ancient pottery in Georgia has revealed the earliest known traces of cacao east of the Mississippi River, providing insight into the interconnectedness of ancient cultures in the Americas. Adam King, an archaeologist at the University of South Carolina, explains how the Indigenous world of the Southeast was an international one, with people deeply connected. Cacao, which yields beans used to create chocolate, originated in Mesoamerica with evidence of its domestication dating back to around 5,300 years ago in Ecuador. By 1500 B.C.E., the Olmecs of southern Mexico were crafting fermented chocolate drinks. The Maya even utilized cacao beans as currency in the Classic Period, and by 1050 C.E., chocolate was prevalent throughout the region. However, limited evidence had previously identified cacao in North America.\n\nThe new findings, published in PLOS One on August 26, show that cacao had somehow reached Etowah by the 11th century. Today, Etowah, located northwest of Atlanta, is home to six earthen monuments built by Native Americans during the pre-Columbian Mississippian period. These impressive structures, with the tallest once soaring about 64 feet, were constructed using red clay between 1000 and 1550 C.E. Archaeologists believe the construction of these mounds was highly ritualistic, potentially symbolizing the creation of the Earth.\n\nWhile the exact means by which cacao reached Etowah remains unclear, it is possible that a trader or traveler brought it there directly, or that it was traded from person to person until its arrival. Alternatively, the cacao may have traveled from the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, or Florida. Despite the absence of evidence of Mesoamerican influence beyond maize cultivation in Etowah, the discovery highlights the extensive trade networks across the continent.",
  "summary": "A new archaeological discovery suggests that people in present-day Georgia have feasted with cacao for 1,000 years",
  "key_points": [
    "Ancient pottery found in Georgia reveals earliest cacao traces east of Mississippi.",
    "Cacao originated in Mesoamerica around 5,300 years ago, domesticated in Ecuador.",
    "Etowah site, northwest of Atlanta, shows cacao presence by 11th century."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}