Plant Hallucinogens and the religion of the Mochica—an ancient Peruvian people
Abstract
This article has attempted to reinterpret a now extinct prehistoric people, the Mochica of Peru, in light of our knowledge of contemporary regional hallucinogenic use. An analysis of Mochica pottery motifs suggests the use of a variety of plant hallucinogens which may have permitted access to supernatural realms. I have argued that studies such as this of prehistoric peoples show the central role that hallucinogenic plants have had throughout time and present a new path to the understanding of prehistoric religions.
- Publication:
-
Economic Botany
- Pub Date:
- April 1977
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 1977EcBot..31..189D
- Keywords:
-
- Economic Botany;
- Peru;
- Mescaline;
- Hallucinogenic Drug;
- Spiritual Power