Jamaican Diaspora

There are several varieties of cocoa. Most common to Jamaica is the variety known as Criollo. Criollo cocoa is the rarest and most expensive of the three types of cocoa and is native to Central and South Americas, and the Caribbean Islands. Cocoa was introduced to Jamaica by the Spaniards, following the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, who began growing cocoa beans on plantations using African slaves.