Enjoy a weekend of chocolate history, culture, and food.
Follow the path from cacao blossom to beverage with interactive presentations, participate in a cacao-inspired mural painting, enjoy chocolate food and drink demonstrations and tastings (while supplies last), or create your own chocolate-inspired codex.
Check out the full schedule here.
The Story of Chocolate
Saturday and Sunday, February 15-16 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Free | National Mall
Ongoing Activities
Level 1, Potomac Atrium:
- Blossom to Beverage — The Jose Reyes Family (Mixtec) will share the process of turning cacao into chocolate. “Blossom to Beverage” delves deep into cacao, from blooms through ripe cacao pods, and finishes with the frothy beverage we recognize as hot chocolate.
- Alcahuetes (Zapotec Chocolate stirring instrument) — Several complex Mesoamerican cacao beverages require the use of a stirrer or mixer for the individual servings. They have a history that dates back at least 500 years, but their use survives in just a few places, including the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, where they are called “alcahuetes.” These alcahuetes are wooden sticks with an animal figure on top. Museum visitors will be able to decorate their own alcahuetes.
- Interactive Mural — Joaquin Newman (Yaqui/Mexica) will create a mural and offer visitors the opportunity to work together to paint and learn about Mayan designs.
Level 3, imagiNATIONS Activity Center:
- Codice Activity — Some pre-Hispanic and colonial Mixtec codices, such as the Nutall, Vindobonensis, Azoyú and Texupan, contain depictions of cacao (seeds, pods, and trees) and cacao beverages as part of ceremonies such as offerings and royal weddings. Visitors can create their own chocolate-inspired codex with support from museum staff.
Level 1, Potomac Atrium: 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
- Food and drink demonstrations with Executive Chef Alexandra Strong — Mitsitam’s executive chef will demonstrate a chocolate-inspired tasting menu. Limited tastings to follow, first come, first served while supplies last.
