Archaeologists found the remains of a 19th-century chocolate factory in amusing discovery

Chocolates are one of the world's most favorite delicacies and it seems that the love for chocolates dates back centuries. Recently, the Barcelona Archaeology Service released a statement that they have stumbled upon the remains of a 19th-century chocolate factory in Spain. As the work was progressing at a construction site in Barcelona last year, they unearthed a chocolate factory and the structure was identified as the remnants of a Catalonian chocolate company called Clemente Guardia.

It is believed the factory's workshop once produced and served candies to residents and tourists alike. "The chocolatier was celebrated as one of the grandest in Barcelona, selling its wares across the Spanish empire's territories," Artnet's Adnan Qiblawi wrote. However, there is a long history buried in the ruins of the historical structure, which dates back to the 14th century and was originally a medieval mansion.

So far, archaeologists have documented the walls, doors and arches of the chocolate factory to the 14th century. It is also revealed that between the 15th and 16th centuries, the mansion was turned into a hostel known as Hostal de Sant Pere. The property was divided into three parts in the early 18th century and archaeologists believe that after discovering seven large ceramic containers found at the site, which dates back to the era. The contents of the ceramic containers have not been determined yet.

By the late 1800s, they turned the property into a chocolate factory. The factory's materials were also connected to Barcelona's 1888 World's Fair. The World Fair was hosted to celebrate the city's development as Spain slowly experienced industrial and cultural boom. 30 countries, including Japan, China, the United States and many more, used to be in attendance to display their technological advancements and local products at the World Fair. The chocolate factory had likely put the items from their workshop on display.

“In the Almanac of the Universal Exhibition of 1888, the factory appears referenced in the address of Plaça de la Llana, 23 as ‘Guardia Clemente. Chocolates and pastillaje,’” writes the Barcelona Archaeology Service. "In 1825, Josep Serra, the owner of the property at the time, requested permission to carry out improvement works, which would coincide with what has been verified in the archaeological record." The archaeologists discovered lead plates that would have been used to make the labels of the chocolates, which specify that the Clemente Guardia chocolate factory makes those products.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, a 19th-century advertisement of the chocolate factory was published in a Spanish Newspaper called La Vanguardia, Clemente Guardia started their production in 1824. Ramon Sune, who works for La Vanguardia, wrote in a translated article that the chocolatier’s “sweet specialties were particular grinds and vanilla and stone chocolates.” A company called Global Geomatica SL, which specializes in cartography and topography, had its researchers survey the site as Barcelona Archaeology Services and the Catalonian government’s Archaeological and Paleontological Heritage Service supervised the process.

The director of the project, Marta Lucas, told Queralt Gómez Cuberes of the Catalan news outlet Betevé that "seeing the structure’s evolutions through the centuries will greatly expand the knowledge we have about the history of Barcelona." The excavations on the site have continued since its discovery and the excavation team is working hard to learn more about the the structure's hidden history and operations as researchers scan and digitally recreate the site.