Even if researchers thought cacao beans were brought from Mexico in the 15th century, it would appear it’s not exactly like that, as people in AD 1000 may have made drinks from them. In a study published on Monday, scientists said that they have found traces of theobromine, the chemical that serves as a distinct marker for cacao, on pottery shards found in a multistory pueblo in northwestern New Mexico.

These new findings can be found in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and it practically denies previous studies, which had not placed cacao in the US until after the Spanish conquest of South America in the 15th century. The nearest source for the cacao, which was made into a bitter beverage used in religious and other rituals, was more than 1,200 miles to the south in Mexico.

The traces of cacao were found in shards from cylinder jars found at Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico, as the site was occupied by the Chaco culture for millenniums, but it grew rapidly beginning about AD 900. This site fell into disuse in 1250. Archaeologists scraped the interior of the shards, dissolved the residue in water and analyzed it with a mass chromatograph.

They concluded cacao was an exchange item that was coming at least into the Southwest. However, they do not know yet how the Chaco used the beans, but the concentration of cylinders in one room suggests the use was ceremonial in nature. That’s possible in Central America, and that’s because the plant grows under hot and humid conditions, and the beverage was consumed in wedding rituals or similar things.