It’s the official month of all things chocolate, and Denver’s Museum of Nature & Science is ready for Valentine’s Day with Chocolate: The Exhibition (Feb. 12–May 8). Following chocolate’s historic trail through times past, the exhibition includes fascinating details about cacao’s cultivation among indigenous rainforest peoples thousands of years ago, how cacao seeds were used by the Aztecs as a bartering tool, its status as a drink for royalty among Mayan nobility and its eventual elevation to a sugary drink only Spain’s richest residents could afford.

The exhibition features recreations of archaeological drinking vessels used within the Mayan culture, a full-sized cacao tree bearing pods and seeds, silver and porcelain chocolate servers from Europe, vintage chocolate molds, advertising and packaging from the 19th and 20th centuries and beautifully rendered botanical reproductions. Sustainable growing methods currently used in rainforest environments are also explained. On Feb. 18, visitors to the museum who are 18 and older can enjoy creamy cocktails and entertainment plus chocolate demos, palate drills and tastings in the Science Lounge with a themed chocolate presentation (6:30–9:30 p.m.).