The ancient

Aztecs The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...

employed a variety of

entheogen Entheogens are psychoactive substances used in spiritual and religious contexts to induce altered states of consciousness. Hallucinogens such as the psilocybin found in so-called "magic" mushrooms have been used in sacred contexts since ancie ...

ic plants and animals within their society. The various species have been identified through their depiction on murals, vases, and other objects.

History

There are many pieces of archaeological evidence in reference to the use of entheogens early in the history of

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

Olmec The Olmecs () or Olmec were an early known major Mesoamerican civilization, flourishing in the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco from roughly 1200 to 400 Before the Common Era, BCE during Mesoamerica's Mesoamerican chronolog ...

burial sites with remains of the Bufo toad ('' Bufo marinus''),

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

mushroom effigies, and Spanish writings all point to a heavy involvement with

psychoactive A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system acti ...

substances in the

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

lifestyle. The Florentine codex contains multiple references to the use of psychoactive plants among the

. The 11th book of the series contains identifications of five plant

s. R. Gordon Wasson,

Richard Evans Schultes Richard Evans Schultes (''SHULL-tees'';Jonathan Kandell ''The New York Times'', April 13, 2001, Accessed April 26, 2020. January 12, 1915 – April 10, 2001) was an American biologist, considered to be the father of modern ethnobotany. He is kno ...

, and Albert Hofmann have suggested that the statue of Xochipilli, the Aztec 'Prince of Flowers,' contains effigies of a number of plant based

entheogens Entheogens are psychoactive substances used in spiritual and religious contexts to induce altered states of consciousness. Hallucinogens such as the psilocybin found in so-called "magic" mushrooms have been used in sacred contexts since ancien ...

. The plants were primarily used by the priests, or ''tlamacazqui'', other nobility, and visiting dignitaries. They would use them for

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

much as the indigenous groups of central

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

do today. The priests would also ingest the entheogens to engage in

prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

, interpret visions, and heal.

Entheogens

Ololiuqui and Tlitliltzin

Ololiuqui (Coatl xoxouhqui) was identified as Rivea corymbosa in 1941 by

. The name Ololiuqui refers to the brown seeds of the Rivea corymbosa (Morning Glory) plant. Tlitliltzin was identified later as being Ipomoea violacea by R. Gordon Wasson. This variation contains black seeds and usually has bluish hued flowers. The seeds of these plants contain the

lysergamide Lysergamides, also known as ergoamides or as lysergic acid amides, are amides of lysergic acid (LA). They are ergolines, with some lysergamides being found naturally in ergot as well as other fungi. Lysergamides are notable in containing embedd ...

ergine Ergine, also known as lysergic acid amide (LSA or LAA) as well as LA-111, is a psychoactive compound of the ergoline and lysergamide families related to lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Ergine is an ergoline alkaloid found in fungi such as ...

(lysergic acid amide; LSA) and

isoergine Isoergine, also known as isolysergic acid amide (iso-LSA or iso-LA-819), isolysergamide, or erginine, is a serotonergic psychedelic of the ergoline and lysergamide families related to ergine (lysergic acid amide; LSA) and lysergic acid diethylami ...

(isolysergic acid amide; iso-LSA), which are closely structurally related to

lysergic acid diethylamide Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a Semisynthesis, semisynthetic, Hallucinogen, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and ...

(LSD). The preparation of the seeds involved grinding them on a ''

metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organi ...

'', then filtering them with water to extract the

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

s. The resulting brew was then drunk to bring forth visions. The Florentine Codex Book 11 describes the Ololiuqui intoxication:

It makes one besotted; it deranges one, troubles one, maddens one, makes one possessed. He who eats it, who drinks it, sees many things which greatly terrify him. He is really frightened y thepoisonous serpent which he sees for that reason.

The

morning glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

was also utilized in healing rituals by the ''ticitl''. The ''ticitl'' would often take ololiuqui to determine the cause of diseases and illness. It was also used as an

anesthetic An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into t ...

to ease pain by creating a paste from the seeds and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

leaf, then rubbing it on the affected body part.

Mushrooms

Called "Teonanácatl" in Nahuatl, translating to "divine mushroom" with ''teo(tl)'' referring to a divine or sacred force and ''nanácatl'' meaning mushroom. The name is often times mistranslated to "the flesh of the gods" as the word for flesh, nacatl, is very similar to the word for mushroom. The mushroom genus ''

Psilocybe ''Psilocybe'' ( ) is a genus of gilled mushrooms, growing worldwide, in the family Hymenogastraceae. Many species contain the Psychedelic drug, psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Taxonomy Taxonomic history A 2002 study of the ...

'' has a long history of use within Mesoamerica. The members of the Aztec upper class would often take ''teonanácatl'' at festivals and other large gatherings. According to Fernando Alvarado Tezozomoc, it was often a difficult task to procure mushrooms. They were quite costly as well as very difficult to locate, requiring all-night searches. Both Fray

Bernardino de Sahagún Bernardino de Sahagún ( – 5 February 1590) was a Franciscan friar, missionary priest and pioneering ethnographer who participated in the Catholic evangelization of colonial New Spain (now Mexico). Born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1499, he jour ...

and Fray

Toribio de Benavente Motolinia Toribio of Benavente (1482, Benavente, Spain – 1565, Mexico City, New Spain), also known as Motolinía, was a Franciscan missionary who was one of the famous Twelve Apostles of Mexico who arrived in New Spain in May 1524. His published writing ...

describe the use of the mushrooms. The Aztecs would drink

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

and eat the mushrooms with

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

. Those partaking in the mushroom ceremonies would fast before ingesting the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christian rite which is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol ...

. The act of taking mushrooms is known as ''monanacahuia,'' meaning to "mushroom oneself". Some written observations under the influence of the doctrine of Catholicism recount the use of the mushroom among the Montezumanic people. Allegedly, during the emperor's coronation ceremony, many prisoners were sacrificed, had their flesh eaten, and their hearts removed. Those who were invited guests to the feast ate mushrooms, which

Diego Durán Diego Durán (c. 1537 – 1588) was a Dominican friar best known for his authorship of one of the earliest Western books on the history and culture of the Aztecs, ''The History of the Indies of New Spain'', a book that was much criticised in ...

describes as causing those who ate them to go insane. After the defeat of the Aztecs, the Spanish forbade traditional religious practices and rituals that they considered "pagan idolatry", including ceremonial mushroom use.

Sinicuichi

Not much is known of the use of sinicuichi (alternate spelling ) among the

. R. Gordon Wasson identified the flower on the statue of Xochipilli and suggested from its placement with other entheogens that it was probably used in a ritualistic context. Multiple alkaloids have been isolated from the plant; with cryogenine, lythrine, and nesodine being the most important. Sinicuichi could be the plant ''tonatiuh yxiuh'' "the herb of the sun" from the Aztec Herbal of 1552. ''tonatiuh'' means sun. This is interesting because today in Central and South America, sinicuichi is often called ''abre-o-sol,'' or the "sun opener." ''Tonatiuh yxiuh'' is described as being a summer blooming plant, as is Heimia. The Herbal also includes a recipe for a potion to conquer fear. It reads:

Let one who is fear-burdened take as a drink a potion made of the herb ''tonatiuh yxiuh'' which throws out the brightness of gold.

One of the effects of sinicuichi is that it adds a golden halo or tinge to objects when ingested.

Tlapatl and Mixitl

'' Tlapatl'' and '' mixitl'' are both ''

Datura ''Datura'' is a genus of nine species of highly poisonous, Vespertine (biology), vespertine-flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds, but are also known as devil's t ...

'' species, ''

Datura stramonium ''Datura stramonium'', known by the common names thornapple, jimsonweed (jimson weed), or devil's trumpet, is a poisonous flowering plant in the ''Datureae, Daturae'' Tribe (botany), tribe of the nightshade family Solanaceae. Its likely origi ...

'' and '' Datura innoxia'', with strong hallucinogenic (

deliriant Deliriants are a subclass of hallucinogen. The term was coined in the early 1980s to distinguish these drugs from psychedelics such as LSD and dissociatives such as ketamine, due to their primary effect of causing delirium, as opposed to th ...

) properties. The plants typically have large, white or purplish, trumpet-shaped flowers and spiny seed capsules, that of ''D. stramonium'' being held erect and dehisceing by four valves and that of ''D. innoxia'' nodding downward and breaking up irregularly. The active principles are the

tropane alkaloid Tropane alkaloids are a class of bicyclic .2.1alkaloids and secondary metabolites that contain a tropane ring in their chemical structure. Tropane alkaloids occur naturally in many members of the plant family Solanaceae. Certain tropane alkaloi ...

atropine Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically give ...

scopolamine Scopolamine, also known as hyoscine, or Devil's Breath, is a medication used to treat motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting. It is also sometimes used before surgery to decrease saliva. When used by injection, effects begin a ...

, and

hyoscyamine Hyoscyamine (also known as daturine or duboisine) is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid and plant toxin. It is a secondary metabolite found in certain plants of the family Solanaceae, including Hyoscyamus niger, henbane, Mandragora officina ...

. The use of

datura ''Datura'' is a genus of nine species of highly poisonous, Vespertine (biology), vespertine-flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds, but are also known as devil's t ...

spans millennia. It has been employed by both many indigenous groups in North, Central, and South America for a variety of uses. Called '' toloache'' today in Mexico,

species were used among the

for medicine, divination, and malevolent purposes. For healing, ''tlapatl'' was made into an ointment which was spread over infected areas to cure

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

, as well as applied as a local anesthetic. The plants were also utilized to cause harm to others. For example, it was believed that ''mixitl'' would cause a being to become paralyzed and mute, while ''tlapatl'' will cause those who take it to be disturbed and go mad.

Peyotl

The cactus known as '' peyotl'', or more commonly peyote (''

Lophophora williamsii The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains Psychoactive cactus, psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar Pupa#Cocoon, cocoon" ...

''), has a rich history of use in

. Its use in northern

among the

Huichol The Huichol () or Wixárika () are an Indigenous people of Mexico living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango, with considerable communities in the United States, in the states of Califo ...

has been written about extensively. It is thought that since

peyote The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar cocoon", from a root , "to glisten". p. ...

only grows in certain regions of

, the

would receive dried buttons through long-distance trade. Peyote was viewed as being a protective plant by the

. Sahagún suggested that the plant is what allowed the

warriors to fight as they did.

Pipiltzintzintli

R. Gordon Wasson has posited that the plant known as ''pipiltzintzintli'' is in fact ''

Salvia divinorum ''Salvia divinorum'' (; also called ska maría pastora, seer's sage, yerba de la pastora, magic mint or simply salvia) is a species of plant in the sage genus ''Salvia'', known for its transient psychoactive properties when its leaves, or e ...

''. It is not entirely known whether or not this plant was used by the

as a

psychotropic A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system acti ...

, but

Jonathan Ott Jonathan Ott (born 1949 in Hartford, Connecticut) is an ethnobotanist, writer, translator, publisher, natural products chemist and botanical researcher in the area of entheogens and their cultural and historical uses, and helped coin the term "' ...

(1996) argues that although there are competing species for the identification of ''pipiltzintzintli'', ''

'' is probably the "best bet." There are references to use of ''pipiltzintzintli'' in Spanish arrest records from the conquest, as well as a reference to the mixing of '' ololiuqui'' with ''pipiltzintzintli''. Contemporaneously, the

Mazatec The Mazatec are an Indigenous people of Mexico who inhabit the Sierra Mazateca in the state of Oaxaca and some communities in the adjacent states of Puebla and Veracruz. Some researchers have theorized that the Mazatec, along with Popoloca spea ...

, meaning "people of the deer" in

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

, from the

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

region of

utilize ''

'' when ''

spp.'' mushrooms are not readily available. They chew and swallow the leaves of fresh salvia to enter into a shamanic state of consciousness. The

use the plant in both divination and healing ceremonies, perhaps as the Aztecs did 500 years ago. Modern users of Salvia have adapted the traditional method, forgoing the swallowing of juices due to

Salvinorin A Salvinorin A is the main active psychotropic molecule in '' Salvia divinorum''. Salvinorin A is considered an atypical dissociative hallucinogen. It is structurally distinct from other naturally occurring hallucinogens (such as DMT, psil ...

being readily absorbed by the mucous membranes of the mouth.

Toloatzin

Toloatzin refers to Datura innoxia specifically, although it is often confused with

in general.

Ad-hocs

Cacahua

Aztecs combined cacao with

psilocybin mushroom Psilocybin mushrooms, or psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms or as shrooms, are a type of hallucinogenic mushroom and a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain the prodrug psilocybin, which turns into t ...

s, a polysubstance combination referred to as "cacahua-xochitl", which literally means "chocolate-mushrooms".Wasson G. Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich; 1968.

At the very first, mushrooms had been served...They ate no more food; they only drank chocolate during the night. And they ate the mushrooms with honey. When the mushrooms took effect on them, then they danced, then they wept. But some, while still in command of their senses, entered and sat there by the house on their seats; they did no more, but only sat there nodding.

References

Sources

* De Rios, Marlene Dobkin. "Hallucinogens, cross-cultural perspectives." University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1984. * Dibble, Charles E., et al. (trans). "Florentine Codex: Book 9." The University of Utah. Utah, 1959. * Dibble, Charles E., et al. (trans). "Florentine Codex: Book 11 - Earthly Things." The School of American Research. Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1963. * Elferink, Jan G. R., Flores, Jose A., Kaplan Charles D.
The Use of Plants and Other Natural Products for Malevolent Practices Among the Aztecs and Their Successors
" Estudios de Cultura Nahuatl Volume 24, 1994. * Furst, Peter T. "Flesh of the Gods: The Ritual Use of Hallucinogens." Waveland Press, Prospect Heights, Illinois, 1972. * Gates, William. "The De La Cruz-Badiano Aztec Herbal of 1552." The Maya Society. Baltimore, Maryland, 1939. * Hofmann, Albert. "Teonanácatl and Ololiuqui, two ancient magic drugs of Mexico." UNODC Bulletin on Narcotics. Issue 1, pp. 3–14, 1971. * Ott, Jonathan.

Eleusis, n. 4, pp. 31–39, April 1996. * Schultes, Richard Evans. "The Plant Kingdom and the Hallucinogens." UNODC Bulletin on Narcotics. Issue 4, 1969. * Steck, Francis Borgia. "Motolinia's History of the Indians of New Spain." William Byrd Press, Inc. Richmond, Virginia, 1951. * Townsend, Richard F. "The Aztecs." Thames & Hudson Inc. New York, New York, 2000. * Lyncho Ruiz 1996 Balancing Act Research and Education Founder, President, Ecosystem Management Director and Ethnobotanist

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aztec Use Of Entheogens Entheogenic Complex Entheogens Mesoamerican medicine