After the Spanish conquest of Central and Latin America in the 1500s and 1600s, cacao beans continued to be used as currency and drank. The Spanish brought the beans and the new drink back to Spain, and the new recipe quickly caught on. News of this sweet Chocolate drink spread across European courts and became a favorite among the nobility. Sources: Kay, Emma. A Dark History of Chocolate. 1st ed., Pen and Sword, 2021. McNeil, Cameron L. Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao. 1st

7K views · 80 reactions | Professor Greg Grandin introduces Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish clergyman who became a prominent 16th-century critic of Spain's brutal conquest of Latin America, and in doing so, laid the foundations of modern theories of social and human rights Listen to the full conversation ad-free at historyextra.com/podcast or search 'historyextra' wherever you listen to podcasts.  by Getty Images | HistoryExtra | Facebook