Ek Chuah

Ek Chuah was the Maya god of merchants and cacao, usually painted black and depicted carrying a trader’s pack. Merchants prayed to him for safe journeys, and cacao growers honored him with ceremonies.

Cacao itself was precious in Mesoamerica: the beans served as currency and were ground into a frothy drink reserved for the elite, which is why one god linked trade and cacao together.