History of chocolate in Spain In modern Spain, traces of the history of the drink can be seen in the chocolate companies, the chocolate shops and museums. The [Mesoamerican] origin of the cacao tree (to which Linnaeus gave the scientific name Theobroma cacao in 1753) is disputed by modern botanical historians since there are different hypotheses about the region from which it comes. Thus, some theories point to the Amazon region; however, it is estimated that the plant also grew in the wild in other parts of Americas, including the plains of the Orinoco Basin. It is very likely that the Olmecs knew the cacao
Theobroma bicolor perniciosa", a fungus which causes "witch's broom disease" on "T. cacao", was reported on a Brazilian specimen of "T. bicolor" in 1999. 8. http://www.deperu.com/abc/frutas/5262/el-macambo 9. @ESholisticnutrition Theobroma bicolor Theobroma bicolor, known commonly as the Mocambo tree, jaguar tree, balamte, or pataxte, among various other common names, is a tree in the genus "Theobroma" (family Malvaceae), which also contains the better-known "Theobroma cacao" (cocoa tree). It is known from Central and South America, including stretches of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. "T. bicolor" is the only species in the "Rhytidocarpus" section of "Theobroma". It was described by