As strange as it may sound to us, chocolate was once used as a currency!
Back in the 15th century, because in the dry highlands of Mexico cacao trees would not flourish, the Aztecs traded with Maya and other tribes in order to get seeds for chocolate. They believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom.
The chocolate was then mainly used as a beverage and was mixed with spices and wine.