Chocolate and Chile in the Southwest

As many of you may know, Patricia Crown along with the help of a researcher at Hershey have identified the chemical theobromine, exclusive to chocolate, in residue of a sherd from the trash mound next to Pueblo Bonito at Chaco. So we have pretty good evidence that chocolate made it to the Southwest much earlier than has been thought. You can read about it here:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Study-pinpoints-earliest-chocolate-use-in-U-S--to-N-M--pueblo

Well, a little insider info for you. At the excavation of site 315, a Medio Period site located about 1 km from Paquime, we found what is likely the evidence of the first chile seed ever found in the Southwest. Paul Minnis recently identified the seed during the analysis of some float samples that yours truly excavated from beneath a floor in one of the rooms. Minnis has recently written an article about it, so hopefully we'll see that surface soon.

So I say there was likely some pretty tasty mole being made long before the Spanish arrived. Dig on!