USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Aztec culture was kept alive by using bartering and trade as the driving force of the economy. The main item used for money was the cocoa bean. The Aztec people also used vegetables and fruits, animals, quachtli, and tajaderas as money when bartering.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Mayans and Aztecs used them as money, and were very protective of their beans. They paid for food, clothes, taxes, gifts, and offerings to their gods using cocoa beans. Having a pocket full of beans was like having a wallet full of cash.

Detailed explanation-3: -By the 15th century, the Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency. They believed that chocolate was a gift from the god Quetzalcoatl, and drank it as a refreshing beverage, an aphrodisiac, and even to prepare for war.

Detailed explanation-4: -While there was no official currency, various goods functioned as money, including cacao grains, small squares of cotton cloth, small nuggets of gold, pieces of tin, and precious feathers. The Aztecs used contracts to carry out their business activities.

Detailed explanation-5: -Cacao beans played an integral role in both the Aztec and Mayan societies. It was not only considered an elite beverage; it was a prominent form of currency in the Mesoamerican marketplace. With cacao beans, one could purchase a turkey egg, pay their taxes, or buy a slave.