NMP RECEIVES REPLICA OF 5,500-YEAR-OLD CACAO CERAMIC BOTTLE FROM ECUADOR

Last Tuesday, 18 June, the National Museum of the Philippines received its latest Gift to the Nation—a replica of a 5,500-Year-Old Cacao Ceramic Bottle from the Republic of Ecuador!

The original ceramic bottle, which belongs to the Mayo-Chinchipe Marañon Culture, was unearthed from the Santa Ana-La Florida archaeological site in southeastern Ecuador in 2002. Traces of cacao found in the bottle offer evidence of Ecuador being the earliest domesticator of cacao in the world, dating as far back as 5,500 to 5,300 Before Present (BP). These cacao beans eventually travelled to different parts of the world, reaching Manila through the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade from the 16th to the 18th century, and have since become part of Filipino gastronomy.

The replica of the bottle was donated by the Cultural Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador Mr. Ramiro Hidalgo, who was represented by Philippine Ambassador to Chile, H.E. Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, and was received by the NMP’s Deputy Director-General for Museums Mr. Jorell Legaspi.

After the ceremony, brief lectures on the cacao industry and the use of the crop in Philippine gastronomy were given by Ms. Louise Emmanuelle Mabulo and Mr. Guillermo Ramos, respectively.

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