Image by Pablo Merchán Montes

The chocolate trade spread throughout Mesoamerica and up into Chaco Canyon, spurring the development of a variety of preparations, practices and paraphernalia important to the cultures that developed there. Southwest archaeologist Patricia L. Crown shares her research, cacao elixirs and chocolate at a lecture and fundraiser titled Chocolate in Chaco and Beyond hosted by the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology on Friday, Sept. 27 at 6pm. The lecture is free, but the fundraising reception where all the chocolate is costs $40. For tickets and more information about this all-ages event, see maxwellmuseum.unm.edu. (Clarke Condé)

Looking for a little chile? The 2020 Bosque Chile Festival, a celebration of food, art, and culture on the Rio Grande, is happening Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16, with times waiting to be officially announced. But due to COVID-19 and the State of New Mexico public health order, the festival will be presented virtually! There will still be entertainment, art activities, a virtual artisan market, chile-chef demonstrations, educational workshops and more. This free, all-ages event is meant to give those stuck at home a chance to see what the state has to offer. If you are a high-quality chile-inspired and authentic New Mexican business with an e-commerce website and want to be a vendor, there is still time. Applications are being accepted until Wednesday, August 5. For more information email bosquechilefestival@bernco.gov.