SALON EL ZAGUÁN

Historic Santa Fe Foundation is pleased to present a lecture by Nicolasa Chávez exploring chocolate's global journey from pre-Columbian Americas through Spanish Colonial Southwest to its worldwide popularity. The talk will take place at El Zaguán, 545 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 6 PM.

ABOUT THE TALK
Chocolate holds sway as one of the most popular food items in history. Most popular as a sweet or delectable treat, it is also considered an antioxidant, or sometimes an aphrodisiac. Dating centuries before European contact, chocolate was used by Central American cultures for spiritual, medicinal, and nutritional purposes. Mayan warriors took bars of chocolate, said to sustain one for an entire day, on the road. It was then brought to Europe by the Spanish where it was incorporated into alchemical experiments and elaborate recipes by monks and chefs of royal courts. Traditionally served as a thick frothy beverage, it was eventually produced as a candy. In recent years traditional Mexican drinking chocolate and variety of new Mexican or New World inspired recipes have been on the rise. What is it about chocolate that we humans find so alluring, so comforting, and in some cases, so addicting? And why have these early recipes returned to grace our tables and warm our bellies? This lecture traces the history of chocolate beginning with its use in the pre-Columbian Americas, the Spanish Colonial Southwest, and its introduction in Europe and rise in popularity around the globe.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nicolasa Chávez, a fourteenth generation New Mexican, is a historian, curator and performance artist, whose work concentrates on the rich multicultural heritage of New Mexico and the connection between New Mexico and the Spanish speaking world. Her exhibitions include New World Cuisine: The Histories of Chocolate, Mate y Más, The Red that Colored the World, Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico, and Música Buena: Hispano Folk Music of New Mexico. She is the author of The Spirit of Flamenco: From Spain to New Mexico (MNM Press). She is also a singer and dancer. Her CD, Villancicos Flamencos, features the traditional holiday songs of Spain and she can be seen performing and giving lectures and demonstrations around the state. She previously served as the Deputy State Historian for our great state of New Mexico and currently works at the Museum of International Folk Art as the Curator of Latin American and New Mexican Heritage Collections.

PARKING
Parking on Canyon Road, Camino Escondido, and Delgado Streets as available. Paid lots are located on Delgado Street and on Canyon Road across from El Farol.

CHECK-IN
Check-in starts at 5:30 PM. HSFF staff will check you in by asking for your name. Come early to view our history and art exhibitions.

Contact: Hanna Churchwell at hanna@historicsantafe.org or call 505.983.2567 for more information.