The Maya people called the cocoa tree cacahuaquchtl and cocoa, from which chocolate is created, originated in the Amazon at least 4,000 years ago. The cocoa pod was often represented in Maya religious rituals and texts referred to cocoa as the food of the gods. According to Maya legend, the gods descended from heaven on a beam of light carrying a stolen cocoa tree from paradise. While chocolate may no longer literally be the food of the gods, its earthly delights as a ingredient in candies, ice creams, brownies and more are undeniable for chocoholics.