Before the Europeans arrived in the Americas on the hunt for gold, the region's indigenous people used money that literally grew on trees. The tiny brown seeds that came to be known as cacao beans held real value, and the Incas, the Aztecs and Costa Rica’s Chorotega people all used cacao as currency. For them, it was worth as much as gold.
Ecuador, where the fatty beans used to make chocolate have been grown since pre-Columbian times, is surpassing Brazil as Latin America's top cocoa producer after boosting planting and offering education programs for farmers.
On Tuesday, Nicaragua canceled the legal status of 15 more NGOs, including a foundation of the now-defunct Guardabarranco duo, which was part of the...
