The Mayan Cacao Company sits fifteen kilometres south of San Miguel de Cozumel, where Criollo cacao trees—descendants of the same cultivars the ancient Maya fermented in clay jars—grow in managed groves behind a working demonstration facility. The site opened in 2014 as a partnership between local agronomists and hospitality professionals who wanted to preserve bean-to-bar techniques that predate Spanish contact. Cacao was currency in the pre-Columbian world; a rabbit cost ten beans, a slave cost one hundred. The Maya roasted the seeds over open flame, ground them on volcanic metates, and mixed the paste with chilli and cornmeal to produce a bitter ceremonial drink reserved for nobility and warriors. Today's chocolate and margarita workshop Cozumel sessions reverse-engineer those methods using modern food-safety protocols. Participants hull fermented beans by hand, adjust a stone grinder to control particle size, and temper the resulting liquor over controlled heat. The margarita component pairs house-made chocolate with blue agave spirits distilled in Jalisco, a bridge between two of Mexico's most exportable crops. Wine pairings substitute Baja California varietals when guests prefer lower-proof options. The facility runs Monday through Saturday, nine in the morning until four in the afternoon, with Sunday reserved for equipment maintenance and staff training. The original Criollo strain accounts for less than five percent of global cacao production; most commercial chocolate derives from hybrid Forastero trees bred for yield rather than flavor complexity. Mayan Cacao Company sources heritage beans from cooperative farms in Tabasco and Chiapas, maintaining genetic diversity that industrial agriculture has largely abandoned. Each workshop begins with a tasting of raw nibs to calibrate palates before heat and sugar transform the profile. Participants mold their own bars using silicone trays and label them with production dates, mimicking artisan chocolatiers who sell at farmers' markets across North America and Europe. The entry fee includes all materials, instruction, and a take-home package of finished product. The experience lasts roughly ninety minutes, compressed enough to fit between morning ferry arrivals and afternoon snorkel excursions but long enough to convey the labour intensity behind a single bar of ethical chocolate.