The answer to this question is simple: it was the center of an important trade It was the junction of two trade routes, one east €“west and one north south The latter, which was the more important, was the one that crossed the Isthmus of Tehuantepec It was at this point that the trade from Oaxaca to the region of the Gulf of Mexico was transferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic slope

This route had two branches, one of which went to the Gulf of Mexico and the other to the Valley of Mexico The latter was the most important It went through the state of Oaxaca and passed near the site of the city of Oaxaca, the present capital of the state From here it went on to the valley of Mexico, where it made contact with the northern route to the center of Mexico

The trade route from Oaxaca to the Gulf of Mexico passed by the site of El Mirador Along this route in pre-Hispanic times passed an important merchandise, cacao It was this trade that led to the founding of the city of El Mirador

The cacao tree is a relative of the tropical American palm tree, the coconut palm The fruit of this tree is a pod, rounded at both ends and about the size of a large plum Inside the pod are several yellowish seeds, each about the size of a chicken egg, with a thin shell and a sweet, fatty, edible pulp

The seeds are collected and transported to the place where they are to be sold They are then roasted in an earthen oven When they are sufficiently roasted, they are removed and the shell is removed The kernel is then ground into powder, which is used in the preparation of a beverage and of a confectionery

https://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/where-do-cocoa-beans-grow/

As was mentioned , the cacao tree was introduced into the New World by the Spaniards, who had learned about it on the Islands of the Azores and the Canaries, whence it had been brought by the Portuguese They took it to the West Indies, where it was cultivated in the 16th century From there it was brought to the mainland of America

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cacao