Chocolate lovers may be surprised to learn that North America’s first taste of cacao came through St. Augustine in 1641, thanks to Spanish merchants. Now, a new exhibit will bring this little-known history to life at the Governor’s House Cultural Center and Museum.
How Chocolate Arrived in North America
According to the University of Florida (UF), a Spanish ship, Nuestra Señora del Rosario y el Carmen, was damaged in a hurricane and forced to unload crates of cacao in St. Augustine. This marked the first recorded arrival of chocolate in what is now the United States.
A Sweet New Exhibit
With a $14,000 grant from the Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Grant, UF researchers will create a multimedia experience featuring audio, text, and photographs to showcase St. Augustine’s role in chocolate’s journey to North America.
“Any time I talk to someone about this topic, they have no idea that chocolate came in through St. Augustine,” said Clarissa Carr, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at UF.
The project is led by Carr, Cleary Larkin, Ph.D., and Laura Douglass Marion, who aim to highlight St. Augustine’s colonial past while celebrating chocolate’s enduring popularity.
The exhibit is set to open in early December.
