The triumphant advance of cocoa
In 1494 the Spaniards secured for themselves the trade monopoly on the New World; in 1521 Hernán Cortéz had the first cacao plantations laid out in South America.
First arrival in Europe
Early in the 17th century Spanish seafarers smuggled home some cocoa beans from South America. Cocoa finally made its entrance to the European continent.
Cocoa takes hold
Since the early 18th century the French, Dutch and English cultivated cacao on the Caribbean Islands, on the islands of the Indian Ocean as well as in Asia.
Read on: Cacao cultivation
