to serve sacred feasting foods and others were used for daily or more public events. Elite members indulged with polychrome plates and vases and had a higher frequency of serving bowls and platters. Common household ruins show less evidence of serving bowls and vases and LeCount suggests that they may have used small gourds to offer foods to the gods. Maya cuisine Tamales were a main dish of daily meals as well as a common ritual food in the central Maya lowlands. Deer, turkey, dog and other meats were saved for public festivals. Sacred foods and festival foods were different to symbolize the difference between community and an individual. Foods at feasts were presented as a sacred item and sacrificed to the gods. Maize is thought to evoke rain functions of the gods and to symbolize purity and divinity which made it a good sacrificial food for the gods. Maize was also a typical festival food along with tamales, tortillas, chicken, pig, chocolate and rum. The Yucatec Maya served chocolate at their weddings and baptisms. Cacao is not served at religious events, but is often at political or social gatherings. Cacao seeds are important because they are used in the negotiation of marriages. At public ceremonies freshwater snails, jutes, were eaten. The elites tended to eat ritual foods such as tamales and chocolate more often than commoners. Modern Day Mayan officials or elite consume chocolate drinks in private rituals to form social and political relationships. Aztec society Feasting occurred on a wide variety of social scales and contexts in Aztec society. They were held as celebrations of births, deaths, marriages or other events. The feasts included activities such as gift exchanges, human sacrifices, incense burning, speeches, plays, and of course eating and drinking. Royal and noble houses entertained and hosted feasts at scheduled times such as to distribute foods and money to the kingdom's staff and administrative workers. Both kingdoms and common households held feasts to celebrate religious events and life events of their family (Smith 2003). Aztec Codices show depictions of public-religious feasts, elite feasts hosted by the ruler, and home celebrations. Most feasts included some type of ritual activity, but there were some feasts that were more religious and ritual than others. At these ritual feasts the foods are not just offered to the gods, but are consumed at a particular time throughout the ceremony. When worshiping death