Selling the Priceless Mushroom: A History of Psilocybin Mushroom Trade in the Sierra Mazateca (Oaxaca)
Journal of Illicit Economies and Development – January 01, 2022
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Huautla de Jiménez's psilocybin mushroom trade thrives on a paradox. Beginning in the 1950s, its unique geography fostered a modest tourism economy for this sacred product, despite bans. Ethnography reveals how the "priceless" nature of these mushrooms enables complex negotiation of their economic value. This dynamic, a key area in Psychedelics and Drug Studies, reflects broader global interest in such substances, from Viet Nam to Latin America, highlighting the intersection of religion and society within local economies.
Abstract
This article shows, from historical and ethnographic perspectives, how the city of Huautla de Jiménez in the Sierra Mazateca (Oaxaca, Mexico) became an emblematic place for the trade of psilocybin mushrooms. Sales to foreigners started to take place in the Sierra Mazateca during the 1950s, stimulated by botanical expeditions and by the collapse in coffee prices, the main commercial crop in the area. The subsequent ban on psilocybin mushrooms curbed their trade and limited scientific research. However, police operations were unable to stop consumers who visited Huautla to experience the effect of the mushrooms, generating a modest tourist industry in the city. This paper analyzes how the idea that the mushrooms are "priceless" produces an ambiguity that allows foreigners and residents of the Sierra Mazateca to negotiate the exchange value of an illegal and, at the same time, sacred product.