Chiles & Chocolate: Sweet and Spicy Foods in the American West

Come have a taste of the rich and savory history of these food favorites, explore how early peoples used them, and how they have evolved and spread to all corners of the world. Food is a portal into culture and can convey a range of cultural meaning including occasion, social status, ethnicity, and wealth depending on the social context. Discover how chiles and chocolate became identity markers in gender roles and relationships, essential in rituals and religious customs, popular in aesthetic fashions and lifestyles, and how they changed through time and space.

Chris Glenn and Sandy Sunseri are docents at the Museum of Northern Arizona and have been speaking about the land and people of the Colorado Plateau since 2012. In-depth research and related interviews have resulted in presentations to local social and educational groups, museum groups, public venues such as the Riordan Mansion State Park in Flagstaff, and AZ Speaks locations throughout Arizona. Some topics are presented in costumes of the time period, and in every case with a thorough exploration of the events and personalities of the time from multiple points of view.