«La xocolatada», a star in the USA

In the form of a chocolate fondant or as hot chocolate in a cup, the so-called xocoatl of the Mayans has left a wonderful taste on the palates of half the world. The travelling exhibition «Chocolate», organised by the Field Museum in Chicago, examines the thousands of years of history of this food, and features the tile panel «La xocolatada» (The Chocolate Party) from the Museu del Disseny.

For 16 years, the exhibition has been travelling through various US states in museums in Los Angeles, Memphis, New York, Honolulu and Las Vegas. It shows the history of chocolate through 200 objects, interactive displays and replicas, throughout the age: from a gift of the gods to a symbol of wealth and luxury.

A reproduction of the ceramic panel «La xocolatada» has been donated to the exhibition as a graphic and ceramic testimony of the new courtly fashion of the 17th and 18th centuries: chocolate. There are several scenes on the panel: from a courtly dance with its musicians, to the procession of a very distinguished lady carried by her servants in a palanquin. Also the preparation of the chocolate drink, which the Spaniards imported as a therapeutic remedy and which soon became the favourite luxury drink of kings and nobles, essential at any high-status social event.