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For most of us, chocolate conjures up images of candy or sweet desserts. But the ancient Maya knew it as a spicy drink used in religious ceremonies. And to the Aztec, who had to trade for cacao, the coveted seeds served as money. This delectable book -- the only pictorial survey of the entire history of chocolate -- explores the relationship between this rainforest treasure and human civilization through the ages.

Chocolate's roles in the history of slavery, war, and medicine are also here -- in a book that accompanies a major exhibition, originated by The Field Museum in Chicago, that will travel across the U.S. for four years. As they savor this unique, fact-packed treasury, chocoholics will view America's favorite food through the lenses of history and ecology, anthropology and economics, conservation and popular culture.