Dr. Olivera will deliver conference talk at Museum City of Chocolate in Perugia, Italy
- Huaca Montegrande
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
The city of Perugia, in Italy, is hosting the international conference “The Secret of Montegrande: The Discovery that Rewrote the History of Cacao.”
On Thursday, March 12, starting at 10:30 a.m., at the LAB – Luisa Annibale Base in Perugia, La Città del Cioccolato will promote an important meeting dedicated to new discoveries about the origins of cacao, with the support of the University of Perugia and IULM University of Milan. It is worth noting that La Città del Cioccolato is the largest museum in the world dedicated to cacao and chocolate.
The keynote speaker will be the Peruvian archaeologist Quirino Olivera Núñez, founder of ASICAMPE, who will present the results of research conducted at the archaeological site of Montegrande, in the Marañón River basin in Peru. There, the oldest evidence known so far of the ritual use and early domestication of cacao has been discovered, dating back approximately 6,000 years.
Archaeological, archaeobotanical, and genetic analyses have challenged the theory that placed the origin of cacao exclusively in Mesoamerica, instead attributing a central role to the Amazon.
The panel will also include Antonio Aimi, who will discuss research and exhibitions dedicated to ancient Peru; Massimo De Giuseppe, who will speak about cacao in the culture of Indigenous peoples of Central America; and Andrea Polcaro, who will trace the history of sweeteners, from honey and dates to the rise of sugar, also linked to the spread of cacao, coffee, and tea.
If you are in Italy, we invite you to attend this important event.
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