The Aztecs and the Sacred Mushrooms

By John W. Allen Introduction

Psychoactive fungi of the genera Psilocybe and possibly Panaeolus have been traditionally used for over 3000 years. The use of these interesting fungi in magico-religious ceremonies as divinatory sacraments among several tribes belonging to the ahua spea!ing indians of "esoamerica is #ell documented $Wasson % Wasson &'()* +chultes &'3', &'-0.. The ahua are the ancestors of the once mighty /lmecs, Toltecs, and A0tecs. The "ayan cultures of 1entral America may also have employed the mushroom entheogens ceremoniously. The indigenous native inhabitants of "esoamerica currently employ several entheogenic mushrooms for the purpose of healing and curing through divination via magico-religious veladas. Jim Jacobs, a reno#n investigator of the sacred "e2ican 3magic mushrooms4 claims that 3their use in a magico-religious ceremony is correct, but that their use is much broader3 then one could possibly imagine. To began #ith, #hat do #e !no# of the e2istence of the sacred mushrooms5 Were they al#ays #ith us and #hy did they 6ust recently resurface into the 70th century of entheoginism5 And #hy did it ta!e over four hundred years of mystery shrouded in silence and secrecy before the mushroom entheogens resurfaced into our modern #orld5 We must remember and never forget that it #as the "a0atec curandera 8o9a "ar:a +abina, the #isest of sabia;s #ho shared her secrets #ith <. =ordon Wasson and photographer Alan <ichardson and made it possible for all of us to e2perience her ecstatic and sacred !no#ledge.

"any of the early +panish chroniclers $#hich included naturalists, botanists and members of the clergy. sailed from far across the Atlantic. They #ere the first to e2plore this brave ne# #orld of ours. They traveled here under the fear of =od, leaving behind them the terrors of the dar! middle ages, leaving behind them a #orld they #ere 6ust learning to cra#l out from under. "ore than (00 years have passed since >spa9a triumphed over )00 years of "oorish rule. ?n &-@', &)-year-old Aerdinand B, ruler of the !ingdom of Aragon met and married &C year-old ?sabella ?, Dueen of 1astile and Eeon. This #as an important step in ma!ing >spa9a a single !ingdom. They had fought the "oors, the "ohammedan invaders #ho had ruled mush of >spa9a for hundreds of years $)00.. ?n &-'7, after more than t#enty years of fighting, Aerdinand and ?sabella conDuered the city of =ranada, the last "oorish stronghold in #hat is no# +pain. ?t #as also, at this point in their history, that +pain began to e2pel most Je#s from their country, forcing several hundred thousand Je#s to migrate to other countries, e2cept for those #ho converted to their religion of 1hristianity. After the #ar #ith the "oors #as over, Aerdinand and ?sabella gave court to a navigator, #ho #as also a mapma!er as #ell, a man #ho claimed to !no# the 3secrets of the #inds.3 This man #as 1hristopher 1olumbus, a man #ho had dreamed of sailing #est for more than t#enty years. At first, 1olumbus tried to get help from the Fing of Portugal, but that failed. Then in &-C(, he turned to Fing Aerdinand and Gueen ?sabella, #ho at that time, #ere fighting to drive out the "oors from their country, so 1olumbus had to #ait. Ainally his orders arrived, given to him by Aerdinand and ?sabella, the royal degree directing him for his first voyage. These documents claimed that 1olumbus #ould be sailing to 3certain islands in the sea3 #hich he !ne# e2isted. ?nterestingly, 1olumbus had once sailed to +candinavia and may have even heard stories about the travels of Eeif >ricsson, thus presenting him #ith an incentive for finding shorter sailing routes to the ?ndies.

After the #ar bet#een the "oors and +pain #as over, it appeared that it #as very important for the merchants of +pain to find a ne# route to ?ndia and Asia. After their defeat in =renada, the "ohammedan Arabs had shut off all of the east#ard land routes to Asia and Portugal;s e2plorers had not yet completed their passage around Africa, so ne# sailing routes #ere often discussed by the merchants yet no one #as enthusiastic about attempting to find ne#er sailing routes to increase the trade of the country. The purpose of 1olumbus; voyage and subseDuent ventures across the Atlantic #as to increase the resources of +pain #ith ne# avenues of commerce and trade. >ventually, they accidently stumbled upon this brave ne# #orld, landing first at #hat is no# >l +alvador and later setting up the first colony in Haiti. >ventually 1olumbus e2plored most of the +outh American 1oast, and 1entral America as far #est as Panama. ?n &(&', the +panish conDueror Hernando 1orte0 landed #ith his men in "e2ico and set up a ne# to#n, Bera 1ru0, and then marched to#ard the capital city. Within t#o years 1orte0 had conDuered the country. 1orte0 also began the tas! of ordering his clergy to convert the ?ndians into 1hristians and stop them from #orshipping demonic idols and from performing their rituals that sacrificed human beings to the gods. While these human sacrifices must have seemed very cruel to the invading >uropeans, it #ould be more reasonable to assume that 1orte0 turned out to be crueler in his conDuest of the native peoples and the #ay he conducted his conDuest than #hat he #as trying to destroy or change. ot only did 1orte0 destroy many of the A0tec temples but he also brutally put do#n all resistance. At the time of the conDuest it #as believed that there #ere more than &00,000 A0tecs #ho lived in the capital and over si2 million ?ndians living throughout "e2ico. ?magine the fear that the native population held to#ards their conDuerors. Here #as an enemy #ho had greater po#ers than their mighty =ods, #ith #eapons of mass destruction, more po#erful than their spears and arro#s, mus!ets, rifles, cannons, armored suits and mighty vessels that breached the sanctity of the #aters.

/nce the conDuest had begun the invaders immediately began to build their churches, the base core of their spiritual imaginations. Then they began to strip the native inhabitants of their heritage, culture and resources. The many treasures they collected and cataloged #ere sent bac! to their homeland. They carried these precious cargoes to +pain in the name of =od and Fing. ?nterestingly, many treasure vessels san! or sun! soon after their embar!ation* mainly because their precious vessels #ere too heavily laden #ith treasure and ironically it #as surely their greed #hich caused their ships to sin!* remember that these #ere seasoned seamen. They #ere definitely good at their s!ills and they !ne# ho# to sail their ships. Aurthermore the +panish invaders #ere also see!ing such treasures as the 1oronado;s 3+even 1ities of 1ibola3 $the lost city of gold. or 3>l 8orado3 as it later became !no#n* the 3fountain of youth3 and even aphrodisiacs to seduce young #omen. 8uring this period of conDuest, they proceeded to rape the land of its many resources and strip a#ay the native peoples of their culture, heritage and religion. +oon they thus began their indoctrination of their #ay of life into that of the native population. This #as achieved largely through the fear of death* thus the conDuerors began to civili0e the heathens of their pagan li!e rituals practices and converted many A0tecs to 1hristianity. An interesting observation that has not before been under discussion is about one of the re#ards given to all ?ndians #ho converted to 1hristianity. This meant that if any ?ndian #as attac!ed, beaten on or in danger, it #as the honored duty of the soldier or conDuistador, all loyal to the Fing of +pain, to defend, #ith his life, any ?ndian #ho #as of the same faith. This is #hy the "oors #ere repelled and e2pelled from >spa9a* so that the 1atholic 1hurch could e2ist. ?n fact, one of the titles of Aerdinand, Fing of >spa9a, #as 3Protector of the Aaith3 or 3Feeper of the Aaith.3 ?n contrast to this above noted observation, in the American colonies, #here the >nglish missionary brea!a#ay Protestant laymen

imposed their harsh religions doctrines and dogma on the native populations #hom they encountered, #ere able to convert small populations of the native inhabitants into their religions. Ho#ever, >nglish attitudes to#ards people of a different s!in color #as obvious $?ndia is an e2ample. and the indians #ho became christiani0ed #ere probably not even allo#ed to sit at the same table #ith their #hite brothers even though they #ere of the same faith. >ventually, the conDuerors had succeeded in their endeavor to devour the land they no# lay claim to. o# the botanists and clergy began to initiate the long and some#hat tedious tas! of cataloging and recording on paper all that they had discovered in the ne# #orld. 8uring the initial conDuest of ueva >spa9a from the 1aribbean throughout 1entral America to "I2ico, the use of inebriating into2icants $including fungi. #as a dominating factor in the culture and peoples of the A0tec empire. The +panish invaders, #ho observed the A0tec priests and their follo#ers being served the sacred fungi at festivals and coronations, fro#ned upon the use of these sacraments. ?t should be pointed out that the +panish #ere very mycophobic and they #ere repulsed by the mere mention of any type of mushroom. They also deplored the pagan li!e rituals and the priests #ho employed mushrooms and other magical herbJdrug plants as divinatory substances. They #rote in their histories that teonanKcatl $Teunamacatlth., a term used by the ahuatl spea!ing A0tec priests in describing the sacred mushrooms may have implied 3=od;s Alesh or Alesh of the =ods.3 Ho#ever, many historians #rote of the mushrooms in a negative vie#. Aor e2ampleL one author described the mushrooms as 3Hongol demonico ydolo3 $for more terms and names of the sacred mushrooms, see Allen, &'')c.. According to Wasson $&'C0., 3teo3 meant a#esome or #ondrous and Mnanacatl4 implied mushroom or even meat. TeonanKcatl or 3magic mushroom4 #as one of the most important of the many narcotic drugJherb plants described in several codices #ritten after the arrival of the +panish in the &(th century. The mushrooms #ere often administered among the common people,

merchants, visiting dignitaries* and even the #ealthy #ere !no#n to have consumed them. /ther plants #ere also employed in the treatment of different ailments, divination and for healing or curing and #ere also used during different seasons. Additionally, several other minor plants #ere also employed #hen the more popular remedies #ere not available. "any plants used in these magico religious ceremonies more than -00 years ago by the A0tecs and as much as 7000 years earlier by their ancestors the /lmecs and Toltecs, and Duite possibly the "ayan people, are still in use today. These include peyote $mescaline., ololiuhDuiJtlitlit0in $morning glory seeds N ergine al!aloids., +alvia divinorum $3Eeaves of the +hepherdess3 a member of the mint family., 8atura $6imsom #eed, also !no#n as torna loca, toloache or tolat0in., mescal beans $cytisine., puffballs $Eycoperdon mi2tecorum. or $Eycoperdon marginatum.. The former is referred to as 3gi-i-#a3 and means 3fungus of the first Duality3 and the latter implies 3fungus of the second Duality.3 ?t has been reported that they cause auditory hallucinations. Primary use of these alleged puffball inebriant occurs among the "i2tec shamans. +econd only to peyote are the sacred mushrooms referred to by the A0tecs as teonanKcatl. The ma6ority of the sacred mushrooms of "esoamerica belong to the genus Psilocybe, and a fe# Duite possibly belong to the genera Panaeolus and 1onocybe. Although indigenous use of many psychotropic plants in "esoamerica is not uncommon today, the ritualistic or ceremonial use of the sacred mushrooms and other drugJherb plants can be traced bac! to appro2imately &000 B1. The numerous descriptions recorded by the clergy and historians concerning the effects of these drugJherb plants and their uses among the A0tec people are molded in fear and plastered in bigotry and false heresy. The botanists and historians #ho #ere eager to appease their

masters bac! in +pain often reported the effects of the mushrooms on those #ho had e2perienced them in a negative vein. The +panish historians often described the effects of these plants on native peoples as leaving their users in uncontrollable fits, claiming that the native people #ould even commit violent acts to#ards themselves and each other. "any #ould fall into rages as if in a stupor. These descriptions could very #ell describe contemporary societies description of an alcoholic syndrome. The +panish persecuted, often murderously, those #ho did not adhere to the catholic #ays. Belo# and on the follo#ing pages are several references regarding the use of these sacred mushrooms by ?ndian people #ho inhabited "esoamerica. ?t #as because of the persecution #hich the native population faced from their conDuerors that cause them to hide the use of these mushrooms from their +panish peers. Thus they remained a secret to most of the #est until <. =ordon Wasson found the /a2acan +hamaness "ar:a +abina and #rote of his rediscovery regarding the e2istence of the sacred mushrooms $see Allen, &'')a, &'')b.. Here then is an e2ample, as recorded by the clergy of the effects of the mushrooms upon some users in pre-1olombian "I2icoL 3The native people #ould pic! these little mushrooms and some #ere small and yello#, and some #ere blac!. They had small round heads and slender stems. They #ere sometimes mi2ed and eaten #ith honey or #ith chocolate, and #hen they #ere eaten they #ould ma!e one see many things #hich or #ould not ma!e them much afraid, or even laugh. +ome #ould dance or #eep, others #ould merely sit and dream. +ome had visions of death, or of falling in battle. +ome believed that a #ild animal #as eating them and others believed that they #ould become very #ealthy. All forms of good or evil could become a reality under the influence of the fungus #hich the natives referred to as teonanKcatl, teo implies divine, and nacatl, means meat or mushroom, hence the term Oflesh of the gods;...

3When the effects of the inebriation of the mushrooms #ere past and all had returned to normal, the indians #ould then consult #ith each other in regards as to #hat they each had e2perienced #hile under the influence of the mushrooms... 3The mushrooms might ma!e one lose his senses or give one pleasure. +ome #ould predict the future or see a thousand or more serpents or 6aguars and some believed that #orms or spiders #ere cannibali0ing their arms or their legs. The use of the mushrooms could #ard off evil or cast charms and spells to insure success, and they #ere thought to cure all !inds of diseases.3 ?t should be mentioned that the Aranciscan mon! +ahagPn $&'(0-&'('., a converted Je#, mentioned that the mushrooms #ere used to cure fevers and rheumatism. ?t #ould appear that the use of divinatory mushrooms among the native inhabitants shoc!ed the +panish clergy. To their users these fungi gave vision-giving po#ers to heal through divination. The natives respected the mushrooms and held their vision giving properties in a#e and reverence. The mushrooms apparently pro6ected concepts of divinity #hich provided visions and !eys for unloc!ing door#ays into the mind. ?t also allo#ed one to divinate an illness or find lost ob6ects. They #ere sacred, they #ere respected and they #ere medicinal. They also allo#ed one to achieve a sacred communion #ith their =ods. The A0tecs even had a god #ho protected the mushrooms #ho #as !no#n as Qochipelli $Prince of Alo#ers.. The native people felt that the ne# religion of the +paniards offered them nothing comparable to #hat they already had. ?magine ho# disappointed the A0tec converts #ere #hen they compared eating the mushroom to the agape of the 1hristian >ucharist. ?t must have been shoc!ing to those see!ing a similar e2perience from the ta!ing of bread and #ine and comparing it #ith their inebriation from the ta!ing of the mushrooms $Pi!e, &'@0* Pi!e % 1o#an, &'('..

?n the eyes of the +paniards this religion #as blasphemous and this heathen pagan practice most assuredly had to be stamped out. The attitude of some of the conDuerors, especially the clergy, probably originated due to the fact that for &(00 years since the death of 1hrist, they had been trying to communicate #ith =od and he had not responded. Ret here #ere these common idolaters #ho could communicate #ith =od and apparently the +paniards most li!ely believed the native people #ere actually communicating #ith the devil. The conDuerors really felt that if =od #ould not respond to their prayers, #hy #ould =od then ans#er the lo#-life indigenous peoples prayers. Because of this the +panish continuously persecuted the native population until they felt that the use of these drugJherb plants by the native-people no longer e2isted. <emember that it #as because of the severe persecution by their +panish conDuerors that many shamans, medicine men and priests moved their ritualistic practices into hiding* thereby !eeping secret, their ancient rituals from the eyes of their enemies. As the conDuest proceeded in the domination of the A0tecs, along came the Holy /rder of the ?nDuisition, #ho after establishing an office in "e2ico, attempted to control the native population through the fear of their vengeful but loving =od. o matter ho# hard the ?nDuisition tried to put an end to the use of the inebriating into2icants by their conDuered sub6ects, it seems that they failed in regards to the use of peyote and the sacred mushrooms. >ventually many A0tec priests and their follo#ers began to incorporate into their o#n religion, certain aspects and concepts of the religion of their conDuerors $EaBarre &')0.. Pagan and 1atholic traits #ere soon blended and incorporated together into the A0tec religion along #ith catholic images such as pictures of the Birgin "ary and statues of Jesus 1hrist. Aor instance, many contemporary "a0atec indians believe that #here 1hrist;s blood fell to the ground or #here 1hrist;s saliva appeared on the ground, that is #here the mushrooms sprang from. HISTORICAL REFERENCES

Presented belo# are several descriptions, as recorded by the clergy, of some of the effects #hich the sacred mushrooms allegedly had upon the A0tec people #ho consumed them. They #ere first found in the te2ts of the follo#ing historians and clergymenL The Aranciscan Ariar and chronicler Bernardino de +ahagPn, author of the Alorentine 1ode2. "otolina, Hernando <u:0 de Alarcon, Jacinto de la +erna, Arancisco Hernande0 and the 8ominican priest, 8iego 8uran. As previously noted, many of these clergymen and historians #ere previously 6e#s #ho through the threat of death or e2pulsion from +pain, #ere converts to the 1atholic religion. +ahagPn #roteL 3The natives consumed small blac! mushrooms that #ere !no#n as teonanKcatl or nanacatl. They gre# under grass, in the fields and in pastures, and visions #ere seen #hen ingested. ?n boo! ', 1hapter C of the Alorentine 1ode2 #e find t#o epithets referring to the sacred mushroomsL nanacatl $mushroom. and honguillos negros $little blac! mushrooms.. ?n boo! &0, 1hapter 7', #e are presented #ith a description describing nanacatl as Mhongos malos Due emborrachanM$evil mushrooms that inebriate.. And in boo! && 1hapter ) #e are told that Mhay unos honguillos en esta tierra Due se llaman teonanKcatl.4 $there are some little mushrooms in this land that they call teonanKcatl.. ?n another portion of the code2, +ahagPn, a devote catholic, informs us that the mushrooms 3aun provocan a lu6uria3 that they 3even provo!e lust.3 Wasson $&'C0. believed that +ahagPn may have been responsible for adding these #ords and #ondered #hy they #ere inserted. He inDuired if they #ere meant to either 3e2cite the si2teenth century readers see!ing al#ays the Aountain of Routh and ne# aphrodisiacs5 or to incite his pious readers against the

mushrooms53 Another historian, Arancisco Alores, also made the suggestion that the sacred mushrooms #ere but 3one of the many aphrodisiacs found in ueva >spa9a.3 8uring the past t#enty years the author has communicated #ith numerous adults and young couples #ho have e2perimented #ith psilocybian fungi. "any couples have reported that their se2ual appetites #ere definitely increased during their inebriations on the sacred mushroom. ?n fact, most of the male sub6ects #ho #ere intervie#ed mentioned that they #ere able maintain an erection and to hold bac! orgasm for several hours. /n the other hand, their female counterparts claimed to e2perience nothing but multiple orgasms during the entire se2ual encounter #hile under the influence of the mushroom inebriation $Allen, personal files.. ?t should be noted that no shaman, curandera, bru6o or sabio in modern "esoamerica or those see!ing advise from the mushrooms have se2 for three days before, during andJor after a mushroom ceremony $Pi!e % 1o#an &'('.. According to the shamans and sabios this e2perience #ould cause permanent madness* suggesting that one #ould go cra0y from the e2perience. Ho#ever, many #esterners #ho have e2perienced intercourse #hile under the influence of inebriating mushrooms have claimed that it is the finest madness they have ever e2perienced. What is interesting is that there are no documented studies done in regards to this aspect of one of the many effects attributed to this type of into2ication. Additionally, Albert Hofmann $&'C0. also observed #hat he believed to be #ere erotic se2ual effects in t#o female participants $"ar:a +abina;s daughters Apolonia and Aurora, prospective curanderas. during a ceremony held in the home of "ar:a +abina #hich occurred #hile Albert Hofmann #as under the influence of +alvia divinorumL 3Blissful, yearning, moans of Apolonia and Aurora, bet#een singing and prayer, gave the impression of the young #omen in the drug inebriation #as combined #ith sensual se2ual feeling.3 Aurthermore, Eeary $&'C3., #ho #ith his lady companion "alaca, had also #rote on the se2ually euphoric aphrodisiac effects reported as common in many psilocybian e2periences* describing his observations of these

effects by claiming that 3We #ere t#o sea creatures. The mating process in this universe began #ith the fusion of moist lips producing a soft-electric rapture, #hich irradiated the entire body. We found no problem maneuvering the limbs, tentacles, and delightful protuberances #ith #hich #e #ere miraculously eDuipped in the transparent honey-liDuid 0ero gravity atmospheres that surrounded, bathed, and sustained us... 3This #as my first se2ual e2perience #hile under the influence of psychedelics.3 +everal days after Eeary had e2perienced the euphoric se2ual properties of these po#erful mushrooms, he as!ed Aldous Hu2ley 3#hat he thought about the erotogenic nature of the psychedelic drugs #hich #ere slo#ly becoming popular among the undergraduates at Harvard. Hu2ley seemed agitated at Eeary;s Duery by saying that 3of course this is true, Timothy, but #e;ve stirred up enough trouble suggesting that drugs can stimulate aesthetic and religious e2periences.3 Hu2ley further stated 3? strongly urge you not to let the se2ual cat out of the bag.3 At this time, the author of this paper #ould li!e to propose a ne# term to be applied for describing these effects e2perienced by those, #ho under the influence of these mushrooms, have the most orgasmic and cosmic se2ual e2perience of their life. This term is to be !no#n as 3psilophoria.3 3Psilo3 for the chemical substance #ithin the mushrooms and 3phoria3 e2tracted from the #ord euphoria. =art0 $&''@., #rote about numerous occasions #here several innocent collectors in =ermany #ho #ere foraging for edible mushrooms had accidently consumed specimens of a ne#ly discovered psilocybian mushroom !no#n as ?nocybe aeruginascens. All those involved reported nothing but euphoric reactions during their into2ication. These occurred on numerous occasions in and around Potsdam and outlying regions of =ermany. +ahagPn #ho undoubtedly provided some of the best descriptions and effects of these mushrooms presented other reported effects. The follo#ing descriptions are from the Alorentine code2L

?n boo! t#o, page &30, +ahagPn #rote thatL 3TeonanKcatl gro#s on the plains, in the grass. The head is small and round. The stem is long and slender. ?t is so bitter and burns* it burns the throat, it ma!es one besotted* it deranges one, troubles one. ?t is a remedy for fever or gout. /nly 7 or 3 can be eaten. ?t saddens, or depresses one* it is !no#n to ma!e one flee, frightens one, ma!es one hide. He #ho eats many of them sees many things #hich ma!e him afraid, or ma!es him laugh Sincessant laughing is one of the more pleasurable effects of a psilocybian into2icationT. He flees, hangs himself, hurls himself from a cliff. 1ries out, ta!es fright. He eats it #ith honey. /f him it is said, he Obemushroomed; himself.3 ?n boo! nine #e find a the mushrooms being served at a +tate dinner for visiting dignitaries, traders and merchants. At this feast #e find that the merchants have been served teonanKcatlL 3At the very first, mushrooms #ere served. They Sthe merchantsT only dran! chocolate during the night. They also ate mushrooms in honey. When the inebriation started they danced and #ept. "any though of and sa# horrible monsters and things.3 And finally in boo! ten, page -', +ahagPn provides us #ith an incident of abuse by a noble#oman #ho used mushrooms for pleasure rather then healing or curingL 3The bad noble#oman SisT infamous, very audacious, stern, and proud. Bery stupid, bra0en. Besotted, and drun!. +he goes about besotted* she goes about demented* she goes about eating mushrooms.3 As one can see, the A0tecs also had #hat appear to be drug related problems in their society 6ust li!e #e have alcohol related problems in our society. /ther reports from +ahagPn tells us of 3the Harlot* the 1arnal Woman is #ho is described at length. Put briefly, she is the #hore of the itching buttoc!s. +he lives li!e a bathed slave, acts li!e a

sacrificial victim, goes about #ith her head high--rude, drun!, shameless, eating mushrooms S?bid. P ((TU 3The Ee#d Routh is a drun!ard, foolish, de6ected* a drun!, a sot. He goes about eating mushrooms S?bid. P 3)TU 3The /ne of oble Eineage #hen he is a bad nobleman is a flatterer--a drin!er, besotted, drun!. He goes about eating 8aturas and mushrooms. He becomes vain, bra0en S?bid P 70TU 3The Bad Routh goes about becoming cra0ed on both !inds of 8aturas and mushrooms* he is dissolute, mad* he goes about moc!ing, telling tales, being rude, repeating insults S?bid P &7TU The above descriptions #ritten by the +panish clergy and historians regarding the effects #hich the +acred "ushrooms had on those #ho consumed them definitely e2plains their $the historians. animosity regarding the A0tec use of the mushrooms. ?n &-C&, 8iego 8uran #rote the History of the ?ndians of e# +pain. His documents #ere based on an historical te2t referred to as 1ronica Q. An early reference in this le2icon occurred during the coronation of Ti0o!. -0. 31omieron todos de unos hongos monteses, Due dicen hacen perder el sentido, y asi todos muy adere0ados al baile.3 -0. 3They all ate some #oodland mushrooms, #hich they say ma!es you lose all your senses, and thus they sallied forth for the dance.3 8uran noted that mushrooms #ere served at the coronation of "octe0uma and other important functions such as festivals and ritual ceremonies. ?t #ould appear that the sacred use of teonanKcatl #as an integral functional part of the A0tec culture. The mushrooms obviously held an important role in determining the structure of their society.

According to the te2t of 1ronica Q $&& cap E?B 7-., at the coronation of "octe0uma, 8uran #rote thatL 3de alli iban todos a comer hongos crudos* con la cual comida salian todos de 6uicio y Dueaban peores Due si hubieran bebido mucho vino. 1on la fuer0a de agellos hongos, veian visiones y tenian revelaciones de lo venir.3 3They all #ent to eat ra# mushrooms* on #hich food they all #ent out of their minds, #orse then if they had drun! much #ine. With the force of those mushrooms, they #ould see visions and have revelations of the future.3 ?t #as !no#n that "octe0uma provided great feasts for his enemies and their Fings and Eords. Here then is an account of one such feast recorded as the 3Aeast of the <evelations.3 1ronica Q $&& EQB 7@.L 3$"octe0uma. hacia comer alos viegos y sacerso tes antiguos, hongos verdes y otros breba6es supersticiosos, Dui les hacia bebar, para Due supiensen en aguellas embriagueces Due aguellas comidas y breba6es les causaban, de tener victoria o no.3 3$"octe0uma. made the old men drin! and the former priests eat green mushrooms and other superstitious potions that he made them drin!, so that they #ould learn in those drun!en states that #ere caused by those foods and potions #hether he #ould #in victory or not.3 The green mushrooms noted above by 8uran probably belonged to the genus Psilocybe and that the color green as #ell as blue are indications of the o2idation of psilocin. Another reference from 1ronica Q follo#sL 3+ino solo los hongos monteses, Due los comian crudos, con los cuales, Due se alegraban y regoci6aban y salian algo de su sentido.

+olo hace memoria, de la abundancia de cacao Due se bebia en estas solemnidades.3 3But only the #oodland mushrooms #hich they ate ra#, #ith #hich, they #ould re6oice and gro# merry and become some#hat tipsy. "ention is made only of the abundance of chocolate that #ould be drun! on these e2alted occasions.3 As previously earlier, by &(&', 1orte0 had conDuered all of "e2ico and by &(-&, an office of the +panish ?nDuisition #as permanently established in "e2ico. 8ocumented records of the /ffice of the Holy ?nDuisition indicate that several reports e2ist documenting the persecution and prosecution of native inhabitants* including a priest #ho used mushrooms in the year &()-. ?n these files #ere lists of charges brought by the clergy against several indians for their use of the sacred mushrooms $see Wasson, &'C0.. ?n &(C& Aray Juan de 1ordoba #rote about the Vapotec indians #ho had #ords for 3mushrooms that they say give one visions.3 /ne ancient manuscript 3Papeles of ueva >spa9a3 dated April &(, &(C0, reported thatL 3they #ould #orship the devil and sacrifice dogs and slaves to their idols and after their sacrifice they #ould dance and get drun! on some mushrooms and then see many visions and fearful figures.3 Arancisco Hernande0, personal physician to the Fing of +pain, vie#ed the A0tec;s use of inebriating mushrooms as Ocausing madness, but not death;. Hernande0 believed that the all night vigils #hich he observed #ere Oa#esome and terrifying;. ?n his Historia Plantarum ovae Hispaniae Bolume ??, published in &)'0, he described several mushrooms. /ne mushroom #as referred to as 1himalnanacame meaning 3yello# orbicular mushroom.3 This could be a reference to a species of Panaeolus or possibly Psilocybe caerulescens "urr. Another term in use at that time by the A0tecs for teonanKcatl #as the epithet teyhuiti nanKcatl meaning into2icating mushroom.

?n &@&(, a guide for missionaries on ho# to deal #ith the indians #ho used inebriating mushrooms sho#s that 3#hen they are eaten or drun!, they into2icate, depriving of those #ho parta!e of them, of their senses and come to ma!e them believe of any one of a thousand absurdities.3 Just ho# po#erful #ere the mighty empirical A0tec #i0ards in their !no#ledge of medicinal plant lore5 And ho# had the ever po#erful catholic church and their clergy come to fear these innocent natives #ho #ould not give up their heathen pagan #ays to a 1hristian =od and a ne# #ay of life. umerous documentation by the clergy on the ritual use of nanacates $mushrooms. among the A0tec native peoples during the fifteenth and si2teenth century represented a most negative vie#. This #as especially true of the church and those #ho #rote for their Fing in +pain. They distorted the truth in order to appease their leaders and the Holy 1atholic 1hurch. ?t #ould appear that the clergy probably dictated to the historians and botanists #hat they could or could not put to paper. The clergy and historians apparently only #rote e2actly #hat the Holy /ffice of the 1hurch and ?nDuisition needed to read and #anted to hear. Wasson $&'C0. claimed that this !ind of totalitarianism by the church #as a dominant factor in controlling every person under the churches 6urisdiction* including the doctrines of the mighty conDuistadors as they conDuered the ne# #orld. Wasson claimed 3here then is /dium Theologicum.3 While modern anthropologists, botanists and historians ignored andJor denied the e2istence of the sacred mushrooms in "e2ico, #ritten documentation on the sub6ect since the recent rediscovery by the Wassons; and others has proven other#ise. As the +panish ?nDuisition prevailed on the >uropean continent, so did the persecution of the indians in "e2ico. The conDuistadors and the missionaries found great satisfaction in their ambivalent and some#hat derogatory persecution of these poor ?ndian idolaters. This caused the native inhabitants of "esoamerica to hide their use of these magical plant substances from the church and their conDuering

masters. >ventually the native peoples hid their use of the mushrooms in near dar!ness and secret for over four centuries. o matter ho# #ell hidden their so called gatherings #ere, the fact that these practices survived total annihilation by the church sho#s the strength the mushrooms provided their users. The A0tec priests, along #ith their follo#ers, believed that the mushrooms #ere a sacred gift from =od. This belief still persists among several groups of indians #ho reside in "esoamerica today. These mushroom rituals and other drugJherb plant use still e2ists in contemporary "e2ican society, although many of the indians became devote 1atholics once they became converted to 1hristianity. ?n &')0 <alph "et0ner suggested that during the early part of the conDuest that 3a negative vie# of mushroom #orship prevailed and the secret practice of it #ent into hiding as +panish mycophobia succeeded in stamping out a ma6or force in ancient A0tec culture.3 FIELD RESEARCH ON TEONANACATL Today, in "e2ico, only a handful of remote mountain area tribes still preserve and utili0e the customs and rituals of #hat once must have been a splendid and po#erful system of #orship and empirical magic. +o complete #as the neglect and ignorance in this #estern #orld of the botanical aspects of the A0tec and "e2ican religions, that in &'&(, William >. +afford, a reputable and distinguished American Botanist, #ho #as an e2pert on the sub6ect of many native American psychotropic plants, believed that the mushrooms and their ceremonies recorded in the codices #ere non-e2istent. +afford claimed that the indians of "esoamerica had never used any mushrooms prior to the conDuest or after. 8isregarding the noted valid testimony of the +panish historians, and of his peers, +afford paid little attention to the #ell-documented evidence #ritten by the historians and clergy that described the rituals $mushrooms. and their effects upon those #ho consumed them.

/bviously +afford #as anti-drug orientated in his beliefs and so once again the mushroom endemic lay hidden from the #orld until the middle of the late &'30;s #hen it #as once again brought to the attention of the scientific community. ?n the early &'00;s, Austrian born Blas Pablo <e!o, an ethnobotanist, received several reports that certain groups of ?ndians living in the "e2ican state of /a2aca, #ere consuming mushrooms and holding secret ceremonies involving ancient rites. These rites #ere performed only for the purpose of healing and divination. <e!o published his findings in a boo! entitled >l "I2ico AntiDuo. +ubseDuently, <e!o discussed these events #ith his colleagues. Ho#ever, they paid little attention to his mushroom ramblings and sho#ed no interest in follo#ing up on his information regarding the suspected use of inebriating mushrooms by the ?ndians of "esoamerica. ?n &'3@, a "e2ican engineer, <oberto J. Weitlaner collected several mushroom specimens and for#arded them to <e!o, #ho in turn, sent the specimens to Harvard Wniversity for botanical identification. Ho#ever, the specimens spoiled before they arrived, thus further delaying their e2istence to the scientific community. Eater that same year, Weitlaner, became the first #hite man in modern times to observe an actual sacred mushroom ceremony. T#o years later in &'3C, his daughter ?rmagard, her fiancIe Jean Basset Johnson and t#o friends became the first #esterners to #itness an actual mushroom ceremony. The velada #as held in a home in the tiny mountain village of Huautla de Jimene0. The actual discovery of the first mushroom specimens of teonanKcatl occurred #hen a young Harvard botanist, <ichard >vans +chultes, made a trip to Huautla de Jimene0 and along #ith Blas Pablo <e!o $+chultes, Pers. 1omm. &'C'. collected several specimens of mushrooms that #ere suspected as being the mushrooms used in magico-religious ceremonies. +o it #ould appear that the ?ndians, in their defiance and defense #ere able to hide their

use of the mushrooms until the late &'30;s #hen their use began to reemerge into the #estern hemisphere. +chultes $&'3', &'-0. presented the scientific community #ith numerous references describing the use of inebriating mushrooms by the A0tec priests and their follo#ers. +chultes, in his &'3' and &'-0 papers, reported that several codices mentioned the e2istence of the sacred mushrooms, thereby providing a reading audience #ith information about the mushrooms. Thus +chultes eventually paved the #ay, so to spea!, for the Wassons; and others to follo# in his footsteps #hen he published his findings to the #orld $+chultes &'3', &'-0.. The actual rediscovery of the +acred "ushrooms and their ceremonies can be read in Bolume ? and ?? of the Ethnomycological Journals Sacred Mushrooms Studies this series $Allen, &'')a, &'')b..

References
Allen, J. W. &'')a. WassonXs Airst BoyageL The <ediscovery of >ntheogenic "ushrooms. Ethnomycological Journals Sacred Mushroom Studies ??L&-30. Allen, J. W. &'')b. "ar:a +abinaL +aint "other of the +acred "ushrooms. Ethnomycological Journals Sacred Mushroom Studies ?L7C. =art0, J. &''@. Magic Mushrooms around the World. Lis Publications. Los Angeles. Translated from German by laudia Taa!e. Hofmann, A. &'C0. LS" My Problem hild. "c=ra#-Hill. Ror!. EaBarre, W. &')0. Ghost "ance# The $rigins of %eligion. 8oubleday. =arden 1ity. e#

Eeary, T. A. &'C3. &lashbac!s# A Personal and ultural 'istory of an Era. J. P. Tarcher ?nc. Eos Angeles. Pi!e, >. B. &'@0. "a0atec +e2ual ?mpurity and Bible Teaching. Practical Anthro(ology )$7.L-'-(3. Pi!e, >. B. and A. 1o#an. &'('. "ushroom <itual Bs. 1hristianity. Practical Anthro(ology @$-.L&-(-&(0. +ahagPn, B. de. $Translation by 1. >. 8ibble and A. /. J. Anderson.. &'(0-&'('. &lorentine ode)# General 'istory of the Things of *e+ S(ain. Wniversity of Wtah Press. +alt Ea!e 1ity. +chultes, <. >. &'3'. The ?dentification of TeonanKcatl, a arcotic Basidiomycete of the A0tec. ,otanical Museum Leaflets of 'arvard )$3.L3)-(-. +chultes, <. >. &'-0. TeonanKcatlL The arcotic "ushroom of the A0tecs. American Anthro(ologist -7L-7'---3. Wasson, <. =. &'C0. The Wondrous Mushroom# Mycolatry in Mesoamerica. "c=ra#-Hill. e# Ror!. Wasson, B. P. and <. =. Wasson. Mushrooms- %ussia- and 'istory. Pantheon Boo!s. e# Ror!.