Hot chocolate does not have a single named inventor; it evolved from cacao drinks first created by ancient Mesoamerican cultures and later adapted in Europe. The Maya and Aztec peoples developed early chocolate beverages, and Spanish monks and nobles later transformed these into the sweet, hot version closer to what is known today.
Ancient origins
Archaeological and historical evidence shows that cacao-based drinks were being made in the Americas at least 2,500–3,000 years ago, with even earlier use by the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is now Ecuador. By around 500 BC, the Maya in present-day Mexico and Central America were preparing a frothy, usually bitter cacao drink, often mixed with water, chili, and other ingredients.
The Aztecs later adopted and modified this cacao drink, sometimes adding flavorings like honey or vanilla and treating it as a prestigious beverage associated with ceremony and status. These early preparations were typically served cold and unsweetened, so they were quite different from modern hot chocolate.
Arrival in Europe
Cacao and the chocolate drink were brought from Mexico to Spain in the 16th century by Spanish explorers and missionaries. In Spain the beverage gradually began to be served hot and sweetened with sugar, and sometimes flavored with spices such as cinnamon, making it more similar to modern hot chocolate.
Monks and members of the Spanish court played a key role in refining and popularizing this hot, sweet version while keeping production methods relatively secret for many decades. From Spain, chocolate drinks spread across Europe, where further changes—like adding milk in 18th‑century England—produced the creamy hot chocolate familiar today.