A Picture of Health in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights

Karen Sanchez Morales and Miriam Sills work on panel of a mural about the history of cacao. Photo by Omar G. Ramírez.

For as long as she can remember, Kylie Amigon Mojica, 18, has enjoyed the sweet flavors of candies like Reese’s Pieces, which are easily found in Boyle Heights, her densely populated Latino neighborhood east of downtown Los Angeles. In the spring, she tasted cacao, the source of chocolate. She was surprised at its bitter taste. The cacao made her wonder what made the candies she grew up with so sweet.

“What is in it?” Amigon Mojica said she asked herself. “Is it harmful? Is it causing changes in our body?”