Long ago, the Aztec people believed there was a kind and wise god named Quetzalcoatl. He was the god of learning and loved helping people.
One bright morning, Quetzalcoatl came down to Earth on the rays of the morning star. The people were grateful that he had come to live with them. They built him a grand five-storey temple with giant stone pillars. Butterflies decorated the walls, and fierce tiger statues guarded the entrance. In return, Quetzalcoatl wanted to give the people a special gift. The gods had a magical plant that they kept only for themselves. They used its beans to make a delicious drink that no human was allowed to taste.
Quetzalcoatl thought everyone should enjoy this wonderful gift. So, he secretly took a tiny sapling from paradise and brought it to Earth. He asked Tlaloc, the rain god, to water it, and Xochiquetzal, the goddess of flowers and growing things, to take care of it. Soon the little plant, which was cacao, grew into a tree with colourful pods. Inside each pod were beans. Quetzalcoatl showed the people how to roast the beans over a fire, grind them into a fine powder and mix them with water. Then he whisked the drink until it became thick and frothy. The people loved the rich drink.
When the other gods discovered that Quetzalcoatl had shared their secret, they were furious. They sent Tezcatlipoca, the clever god of darkness, to trick him. Disguised as a travelling merchant, Tezcatlipoca visited Quetzalcoatl.
“You look worried,” he said kindly.
“I had a bad dream,” Quetzalcoatl replied sadly. “I’m afraid the gods may harm my people.”
“I have just the thing,” the stranger smiled. “Drink this. It will make you happy.”
Quetzalcoatl did not know that the drink would make him drunk. Soon he was dancing, singing and behaving so strangely that the people were frightened. They had never seen their wise and gentle god act this way. When he woke up the next morning with a terrible headache, Quetzalcoatl realised he had been tricked. Ashamed and heartbroken, he decided to leave the city.
As he walked away, he saw that the cocoa trees had become dry and covered with thorns. He knew the angry gods had cursed them. At the edge of the sea, Quetzalcoatl stopped one last time. In his hand was a single cocoa seed. He planted it.
“Take care of this tree,” he told the people. “Its fruit will bring joy for many generations.”
From that one seed grew a beautiful cocoa tree. The Aztecs believed that every cocoa tree in the world came from Quetzalcoatl’s final gift. They also believed that, one day, the kind god of learning would return.
Folktales are an oral tradition with stories being handed across generations. The stories are not necessarily true.
Published - July 10, 2026 02:03 pm IST