What did the Aztecs commonly use cacao beans as in Mesoamerica?

The Aztecs commonly used cacao beans as currency in Mesoamerica.

Cacao beans were valuable because they were durable, portable, divisible, and widely desired for preparing chocolate drinks. Aztec markets accepted them for everyday purchases, with prices varying according to the quality and number of beans.

Cacao also had ceremonial and nutritional importance. Aztec elites and warriors consumed chocolate beverages, while cacao featured in religious customs and tribute systems. The beans therefore functioned both as food and as a medium of exchange.

The practice was not unique to the Aztecs: earlier Mesoamerican societies also valued cacao. Accounts from the Spanish conquest describe cacao transactions, but historians caution that exchange systems could differ between regions and periods.