Don Cortes

The voyage which led Don Cortes to discover Mexico and the Aztec civilisation began in 1517 when he set sail from Cuba with 11 ships and 600 men, all seeking fame and fortune in the 'New World'. Landing on the Mexican coast near Veracruz, he decided to make his way to Tenochtitlan to see for himself the famed riches of Emperor Moctezuma and the Aztec empire.

It was Moctezuma who introduced Don Cortes to his favourite drink, 'chocolatl' - served in a golden goblet. Moctezuma is said to have consumed several goblets of 'chocolatl' before entering his harem, leading to the mythical belief that it had aphrodisiac properties.

In May 1520 the Spanish attacked a peaceful Aztec festival and Moctezuma was killed: by July the Aztecs had forced the Spanish out of the city of Tenochtitlan. But after regaining their strength, the Spanish and their allies held the city siege for 75 days, and its fall marked the end of the Aztec civilisation.

Cortes was made Captain General and Governor of Mexico. When he returned to Spain in 1528 he loaded his galleons with cocoa beans and equipment for making the chocolate drink. Soon 'chocolate' became a fashionable drink enjoyed by the rich in Spain, but it took nearly a century for the news of cocoa and chocolate to spread across Europe, as the Spanish kept it a closely guarded secret.