The ancient Maya lived in the region of Mesoamerica, which today includes southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, parts of Honduras, and El Salvador. By around 500 BC, they were already crafting a bitter, frothy beverage from ground cacao, water, cornmeal, and chili peppers — what we now think of as an early version of “xocolātl” (pronounced show-co-LAH-tul). It was spicy, bitter, and served cold. And according to Wikipedia, there is speculation that chocolate predates even the Mayans.

The Aztecs, who lived in central Mexico from the 14th to the early 16th century, are often credited with popularizing chocolate. They prepared cacao as a bitter, frothy drink, usually mixed with spices like chili peppers and sometimes flavored with vanilla or honey, and annatto — a seed that gave the drink a deep red color, some foam, and a bit of symbolic richness. It wasn’t sweetened with sugar (which came later with Europeans) but instead was considered stimulating and even sacred, often used in rituals or enjoyed by nobility and warriors. Wikipedia also told me that Xocolātl was even used as currency.

When the Spanish encountered cacao through the Aztecs, they found the bitter, spicy drink intriguing but a little harsh. Back in Europe, they began sweetening it with cane sugar and mellowing it with milk — transforming it into the sweet-tasting hot chocolate we’d recognize today.

Hot chocolate became a luxury item among the European nobility by the 17th century.  And the first Chocolate House (an establishment similar to a modern coffee shop) opened in London in 1657. Chocolate was seen as a luxury – and Chocolate Houses were where men went to debate, gossip, and indulge while drinking the sweet, expensive beverage that signaled sophistication and nobility. 

(Incidentally, sometimes while researching for these posts, I come across something life changing. I have never loved the name “coffee shop” because I’m not a coffee drinker but anyone that knows me knows that I do love the coffee shop vibe of sitting or reading or working at a table and drinking my hot cocoa or iced chocolate milk. It is one of my very favorite things. I choose to spend a lot of time in coffee shops. And, mark my words, from now on, I will be calling coffee shops “chocolate houses.” Brilliant!)

One of my favorite (a-hem!) chocolate houses has a fantastic view and a fantastic array of hot chocolates. 

My favorite is called the Aztec. 

It consists of cocoa, cinnamon, chipotle syrup, and milk — and is just the right combination of warm spicy sweetness. You can even get it cold.

Sipping that magical concoction recently made me think of how hot chocolate for most of us has changed significantly from the spicy and more unsweetened forms of cacao the Mayans and Aztecs were drinking.  

And to that end, I came up with some real-life examples where we “sweeten” or water down something — like the early Europeans did — to make it easier or more palatable.  

Is there a chance that going back to the spicier, raw, authentic version can bring more meaning? 

• Friendship: It’s easy to stay on the surface: quick texts, funny memes, a “let’s get together soon.” That’s the sweetened version. The spicier version is sitting down face-to-face, having deep, honest, vulnerable conversations that further our trust.
  
• Traditions: A family belief, holiday ritual, or cultural practice can get diluted into something symbolic and shallow over time. Revisiting the meaning behind it or a more deliberate version can reconnect us to its roots.
  
• Faith: A watered-down version might be checking the box — showing up, saying the words. The spicier version is wrestling with real questions, searching scriptures deeply, or serving in ways that stretch us.
  
• Nature: Sweet is scrolling pretty photos of mountains and sunsets. Spicy is hiking up the mountain, sweating, getting blisters (!), feeling the cool wind at the summit, and watching the sunset with our own eyes. 

• Health: Smoothies and supplements can feel like the easy answer. But continuing to return to the old school version, too — sweating through exercise, cooking from scratch with real food, etc. — might also be grounding.
  
• Relationships: We sometimes settle for comfort or avoidance (not bringing up the thing that bothers us). But choosing the spicier path — addressing the hard subject — can create deeper connection.
  
• Personal growth: We like the sweet versions of inspiration: short quotes, motivational reels, summarized audio. The raw version might be sitting down with an actual book, journaling or reflecting honestly, or working through discomfort in therapy or coaching.
  
• Work & Creativity: Using templates, AI, or shortcuts can get the job done for sure. But sometimes revisiting the harder path — original writing, sketching by hand, or real problem-solving — can spark even more genuine creativity.
  
• Parenting: A sweetened version might be distraction or bribery to avoid a meltdown. The less palatable version might be calmly holding boundaries, letting our children work through big feelings, or researching more practical ways to get help, even when it’s uncomfortable.
  
• Community: A sweet version is sometimes just “liking” a cause online. The more raw version could include volunteering, donating time, showing up in person.
  
• Self-talk: Sweet is repeating easy affirmations you don’t really believe. Spicy might be acknowledging what your brain actually says and then choosing one grounded, empowering, believable thought to practice or try on.

• Apologies: The sweetened version might sound like “sorry if you were offended.” The spicier and more raw version could be “I was wrong, and it hurt you. I want to make it right.”
  
• Grief: A diluted version might be “they’re in a better place” or “time heals.” Spicy and much more authentic could be allowing ourselves to cry together, to miss them, to be changed by the loss.

All these ideas (and I’m sure there are more!) circle back to this: the deeper, harder version of something is often the truer one — and though it might sting a little or be a little spicy, it just might nourish us more.

I can’t wait to hear about where you’re choosing more authenticity and spice. And I’d love to talk to you about it. At a chocolate house. Sipping Aztec cocoa.  

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PS If you liked this post – or any others, I’d love you to pass me and my work on to a friend.  They can find out much more about me here if they’re interested!