by the 1400s, the aztecs took over a large part of mesoamerica, and took cacao into their culture. they thought of chocolate with xochiquetzal, the goddess of pregnancy. they also used chocolate drinks as sacrifices to gods. the aztec kind of the drink was bitter and spicy, and was called "xocolatl". it was made a lot like the mayan chocolate drinks. vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote were added to the drink, and it was believed to fight tiredness, which is because of the theobromine content, a mood enhancer. because cacao would not grow in central mexico and had to be brought into the empire, chocolate was an important luxury good in the aztec empire. because of this, cocoa beans were used as money.