Unveiling Mayan Secrets: Hallucinogens In Ancient Ball Game Rituals
Archaeologists discovered, through environmental DNA technology, that ceremonial rituals of the ancient Mayan civilization at the Yaxnohcah ruins (Yucatán Peninsula) were conducted with hallucinogens.
The team of researchers identified traces of hallucinogenic plants on the ball game fields, which they presume were used in rituals to bless the site. The discovery was made in the Helena complex, an archaeological site dating back to the Late Preclassic period.
Which Hallucinogens Did The Mayans Use On Their Ball Fields?
The plants found included Ipomoea corymbosa (xtabentun in Mayan), Capsicum sp. (chile or ic in Mayan), Hampea trilobata (jool) and Oxandra lanceolata (chilcahuite), all known for …