Mayan Chocolate Making Class in Antigua, Guatemala: Roast & Grind Cacao

Roast cacao on a clay comal, then grind it on a Mayan metate to make your own hot chocolate.

A chocolate-making class in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, a Kaqchikel village near Antigua, where you roast and peel cacao beans, grind them using a traditional Mayan stone, and prepare hot chocolate with a molinillo whisk. The 2-hour full workshop includes an interactive presentation on 5,000 years of chocolate history and tastings of premium organic Criollo cacao from different Guatemalan regions. The 1-hour express version skips the presentation and goes straight to the hands-on steps. A live guide leads the class in Spanish, and tastings of various cacao products and drinks are included.

The experience

You arrive at a working chocolate workshop in a non-touristic village where the process hasn't changed in centuries. The guide walks you through the steps you're about to do: roasting cacao beans on a traditional clay comal, peeling them by hand, then grinding them on an ancient Mayan metate stone. If you book the full workshop, you'll start with an interactive presentation covering 5,000 years of chocolate history, Mayan culture, pre-Columbian recipes, and the tools (ancient and modern), that shaped the craft. Throughout, you taste your way through the story: Guatemalan premium organic Criollo cacao from different regions, ground cacao and its derivatives, dark versus white chocolate, chocolate meant for eating versus drinking.

Then you move to the hands-on part. You roast cacao beans on the clay comal until they're ready to crack open and peel. You grind the roasted beans using the metate, feeling the weight and rhythm of the tool Mayan kings used. You whisk your ground cacao with a traditional molinillo, the wooden whisk that aerates and froths the chocolate. The final step is yours to shape: you personalize your cup with more than ten pre-Columbian and modern condiments (spices, sweeteners, and flavors) to create a hot chocolate that's entirely your own. The whole experience is small and private, held in the workshop itself, with the guide speaking Spanish throughout.

The village itself is the setting. San Antonio Aguas Calientes sits near Antigua but stays off the main tourist circuit, so you're working alongside the actual chocolate-making process rather than watching a demonstration. Public transportation options are available if you're coming from Antigua, and the workshop is wheelchair accessible with all areas and surfaces adapted for mobility. Infants and small children can come in a pram or stroller, and service animals are welcome.

What’s included

• Tasting of various cacao products and drinks.
• roasting and peeling cacao on a traditional clay comal.
• grinding cacao using an ancient Mayan metate stone.
• preparation of hot chocolate with a traditional molinillo whisk.
• personalization of your cup with more than ten pre-Columbian and modern condiments.
• live guide instruction in Spanish.
• for the 2-hour full workshop, an interactive presentation on 5,000 years of chocolate history and Mayan culture, plus tastings of premium organic Criollo cacao from different Guatemalan regions.

Options for this experience

2 options

1-Hour Express WorkshopGuide in Spanish · 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00Lasts 1 hour: this abbreviated version covers only steps #3 through #6 from the description

2-Hour Full WorkshopGuide in Spanish · 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00Lasts 2 hours: this complete workshop covers every step, #1 through #6, described below

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00

Book up to2d before

GroupPrivate

Live guideSpanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48h

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by NOBI

Is this one for you?Choose the 1-hour express if you have a free afternoon and want to get straight to making chocolate with your hands. Pick the 2-hour full workshop if you want the history, the regional cacao tastings, and the deeper context before you start roasting and grinding.

Top questions

What's the difference between the 1-hour and 2-hour workshops?

The 1-hour express workshop takes you straight to the hands-on steps: roasting and peeling cacao, grinding it on the metate, whisking hot chocolate with a molinillo, and personalizing your cup with condiments. The 2-hour full workshop adds an interactive presentation at the start that covers 5,000 years of chocolate history, Mayan culture, pre-Columbian recipes, and the tools used across time, plus tastings of premium organic Criollo cacao from different Guatemalan regions and various chocolate products throughout.

Do I need any experience to make chocolate in this class?

No. The guide walks you through each step (roasting on the clay comal, peeling the beans, grinding on the Mayan metate, and whisking with the molinillo), so you learn as you go. The tools are traditional and simple to use, and the guide leads you through the process in Spanish.

What cacao will I taste during the workshop?

You'll taste Guatemalan premium organic Criollo cacao from different regions, along with tastings of ground cacao and its derivatives, dark versus white chocolate, and chocolate prepared for drinking versus eating. The full workshop includes these tastings during the presentation. The express workshop includes tastings as part of the hands-on experience.

Is San Antonio Aguas Calientes easy to reach from Antigua?

Yes. Public transportation options are available nearby, so you can reach the village from Antigua without a car. The workshop itself is in the village, which sits close to Antigua but stays non-touristic, so the setting feels like a working community rather than a visitor attraction.

Can I bring children or use a wheelchair?

Yes to both. The workshop is wheelchair accessible with all areas and surfaces adapted for mobility. Infants and small children can come in a pram or stroller, and service animals are welcome.