The idea that chocolate is “worth its weight in gold” is not just poetic. In parts of Mesoamerica, including what is now Costa Rica, cacao beans once functioned as currency. It was used in trade, tribute, and social exchange, especially when coinage was scarce. Below is a historical look at how cacao became money in Costa Rica’s past, based on documented sources.
Cacao as Currency in Mesoamerica: Context First
To understand cacao’s monetary role in Costa Rica, it helps to step back to its broader use in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
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The Maya and Aztec civilizations accepted cacao beans (or cacao-based products) as tribute payments.
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Beyond tribute, cacao also served as everyday currency, especially for lower-value goods. For example, in Aztec markets, small items like tamales or rabbits could be bought for beans.
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Archaeological and historical evidence shows cacao’s use in markets across Maya city-states.
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Scholars have documented that cacao bean use as currency could persist even after Spanish conquest, though in limited or transformed forms.
So cacao’s monetary role was well established across the region. But what about Costa Rica specifically?
Cacao as Money in Costa Rica: Evidence & Stories
Chorotega Use Before Spanish Contact
One of the more cited examples comes from pre-Columbian Costa Rica’s Chorotega people. According to some ethnohistoric accounts, they used cacao beans in their markets and exchanges. The Pre-Columbian History of Costa Rica article notes:
“Although barter played an important role in trade, Chorotegans used cacao beans as currency. Cases of counterfeiting appeared, where cacao would be extracted from beans and replaced with dirt.”
This suggests cacao was trusted as a medium of exchange in local trade, enough so that people tried to cheat the system.
Colonial Era & Coin Shortages
During the colonial period, coins were not always widely available in remote areas. In such times, cacao could act as a stand-in for money:
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According to The Tico Times, cacao was used “as collateral and for dowries” when conventional money was in short supply.
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That same article cites the registration of the first cacao plantation in Costa Rica in 1610 and notes that cacao was listed as merchandise by 1623.
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It also states that by around 1640, cacao trees themselves became a measure of wealth.
While these accounts lack precise court records or ledgers we might expect with coinage, they reflect a pattern: in rural or colonial frontiers, cacao functioned as a commodity whose value was recognized socially and economically.
Late Use & Cultural Memory
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Some sources claim that cacao beans continued to hold value in Costa Rican markets into the 19th and even early 20th centuries. History of Costa Rica’s Chocolate (Culture Trip) notes that “cacao beans were used as currency by Chorotega people until the 1930s.” While that claim is dramatic, it’s difficult to confirm with archival records, and may blend documented use with folklore.
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The concept of cacao as “money” has remained in cultural memory. Stories of “chocolate hour” and cacao’s role in dowries and trade circulate in traditional narratives.
Important Caveats & Nuances
To present a historically responsible picture, here are some caveats:
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Cacao was not always “money” in the strict modern sense. Many historians distinguish between barter, commodity exchange, and full monetary functions (store of value, unit of account, medium of exchange). In many cases, cacao acted more like commodity money or trade credit rather than coinage.
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Regional variation matters. Use of cacao as currency was more common in the Mesoamerican heartlands (Mexico, Guatemala) than in peripheral regions, so in Costa Rica its use may have been less formal and more ad hoc.
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Documentation is limited. Colonial records in Costa Rica are less extensive than in Mexico or Peru, so much of Costa Rican cacao-currency history is reconstructed from accounts, not always primary economic ledgers.
Why This History Matters
Understanding how cacao once acted as money in Costa Rica gives us deeper insight into how deeply cacao was woven into daily life (economics, ritual, and social exchange). When you taste a bar of chocolate today, you are tasting not just flavor, but centuries of value, barter, and mutual trust.
At Blue Valley Chocolate, we carry forward that legacy, not by using beans as currency of course, but by honoring cacao’s place in culture, economy, and community.