Original subtitles

These are the tropical rain forests

of Central America...

Where the elements combine

to create one of the richest ecosystems

on the planet.

In the shade of the forest canopy...

Lives one of the world's most prized trees.

The early civilizations who made their home here

venerated this plant.

A symbol of fertility and abundance.

A gift from nature.

Cacao.

The plant that gives us chocolate.

This tree is sensitive.

It only flourishes close to the equator.

Like all good things,

its fruit takes time to mature.

Six months pass before the pods are ripe...

And ready to harvest.

It takes care and an expert eye.

One wrong cut could damage the cushions

which produce the precious flowers

and the promise of more fruits.

This is Julio.

From the small farm in Belize...

He keeps alive a tradition

that goes back 3,000 years.

Transforming these seeds

with their coat of sticky pulp

requires dedication and patience.

Under the heat of the equatorial sun,

the beans are left for days to dry.

As their color deepens,

their flavor awakens.

Only then are they ready

to become chocolate.

As dawn breaks,

Julio and his team

are already hard at work.

In the cool of the early morning,

the process of heating cacao

to make chocolate begins.

Granite wheels blend cacao butter

evenly through the cacao liqueur...

A process that can't be hurried.

Gradually, the mixture evolves.

Gritty cacao is spun

into silky, liquid chocolate.

Only a few chocolate makers like Julio

exist in Belize,

creating chocolate from cacao

grown and ripened in the surrounding forest.

It's his passion

and a reminder to local Mayans

that cacao is in their blood.

Chocolate belongs to them.

Deep in the forests of Julio's homeland...

Relics of ancient Mayan cities.

Wealthy and culturally rich...

The Mayans traded across this region and beyond.

Here, cacao was used as currency.

But transformed into liquid chocolate,

it had special meaning.

It was consumed to mark rites of passage,

to honor marriage,

birth, and death...

And used to celebrate the abundance of life.

Centuries after Mayans

first turned cacao into chocolate,

this exotic delicacy arrived in Europe,

sparking a sweet revolution.

In the 19th century,

a Belgian apothecary

coated his pills in liquid chocolate

to disguise their bitter taste.

The pills proved so popular

that the healer turned chocolate maker.

Soon, delectable treats lined

the continent's most fashionable countertops.

Chocolate making became a fine art.

A chocolatier is part artisan

and part scientist.

Carefully working the cooling chocolate

makes it glossy and smooth.

Its physical properties mean

it easily melts in the mouth.

The sweet scent is known to produce

a feeling of calm in the mind.

Chocolate even contains the same chemicals

released by our brains

when we fall in love.

No wonder we offer it as gifts

to those we cherish the most.

Each bite is designed

to be a sensory delight...

Pleasing to both the eye

and the heart.

Back where cacao first grew,

chocolate remains more than a sweet treat.

Lake Atitlán in Guatemala

is the spiritual center of Mayan culture.

Local people call it

"the navel of the world."

The place where all life began.

In the village of San Pedro,

women keep alive the ancient cacao culture.

Descended from Mayan tribes,

they are the protectors of the cacao.

Working with the beans connects them

with their ancestors.

Making chocolate is about more than pleasure.

It's a sacred ritual.

Releasing the roasted beans from their shells

reveals the precious nibs inside.

Using a stone mano and metlatl

that's been handed down through generations,

the chocolate maker grinds the nibs.

Her work is a prayer...

An offering to the gods

for the miracle of life.

She conjures the cacao into a rich paste...

To make a ceremonial chocolate drink.

Friends and family

gather beside the shores of the lake

to mark a change in the lunar calendar.

They celebrate the elements,

the source of all life.

It's an age-old tradition.

The elixir of cacao and water

is offered to the fire and to the sky.

Nature's gift returned.