Cylinder Jars, Chocolate and Chaco

Patricia Crown uncovered the first evidence of chocolate consumption in North America—north of Mexico—in 2009 and her research has received national and international attention. Crown and colleague Jeffery Hurst—at the time a senior chemist for the Hershey Company—have analyzed the identified chemical signature of cacao in three shreds of distinctive cylinder jars from Chaco Canyon, expanding knowledge of trade relationships between Mesoamerica and the US Southwest. 

Expanding on these discoveries at Chaco Canyon, Crown will present a decade of research on chocolate consumption in Chaco and other parts of North and South America that reveals new insights into the long history of cacao use in ritual and exchange. 

Free food and beverages.

No registration is required, but seating is limited