The Tea and Chocolate Place: a logo with history

The incredibly beautiful and soulful place, The Tea & Chocolate Place (El Lugar del Té & Chocolate), is located in Honduras, in the archaeological site of Copán. It is a cafe, a museum, and a botanical garden at the same time. They sacredly honor the ancient traditions of the Maya people, support the local culture, and restore the ecosystem of the region. In the venue, one can taste authentic, ecological pure 100% chocolate, as well as drink beverages (from traditional cups) brewed according to ancient recipes of the Mayan Indians.

The logo combines: [1] the abbreviation T&C (from the name, “Tea and Chocolate”)—the letters are carved from the stone from which ancient Mayans built their pyramids; [2] cocoa fruits, which are known to us due to the Maya; [3] a Mayan hieroglyph for “cocoa” linking the logo to the history and the ancient language of the ancestors; [4] vanilla flowers growing in the garden of the venue, and [5] a cocoa tree in the background—as a symbol of the ecosystem restoration in the region, as cocoa trees are planted in place of deforested sites, thereby saving the hilly area from soil erosion.

The full and abridged versions of the logo in Spanish.

The logo design process. Pencil sketches.

Mayan hieroglyphs on one of the pyramids (Copan, Honduras).

Red macaws—parrots revered by the Maya people (Copan, Honduras).

Pure, 100% chocolate (The Tea & Chocolate Place, Honduras).

An ancient Mayan drink—hot chocolate with chili peppers, cornflour, and tropical fruits (the ingredients are pictured below).

Roasting cocoa beans in the traditional way over the fire (The Tea & Chocolate Place, Honduras).

Homemade cane sugar.