Modeling the Flesh of God: Semantic Hyperpriming and the Teonancátl Cults of Mexico
NeuroQuantology – May 24, 2016
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The ancient "Flesh of God" sacrament, teonanacatl, was integral to pre-colonial Latin American history and culture, particularly among Mexico's Mazatec people. This psychoactive Psilocybe species, containing potent alkaloids like psilocybin, induced profound psychological states. Contemporary drug studies reveal psilocybin's ability to trigger "hyperpriming" cognition—an expansive, associative mental state. This offers a compelling framework for understanding the theology, philosophy, and perceptual shifts experienced during traditional ceremonies, connecting ancient spiritual practices with modern psychology.
Abstract
The ritualistic use of the ancient psychoactive sacrament teonanacatl, or “The Flesh of God,” represents an integral aspect of pre-colonial Mesoamerican culture and continues, in various syncretic forms, to this day. Providing a brief history of various tribes of Mexico known to utilize Psilocibe species within a shamanic context, focusing primarily on the Mazatec people of Oaxaca, this paper attempts to utilize contemporary cognitive research of psilocybin to better understand and contextualize the ancient teonanacatl ceremony; specifically, research into psilocybin’s induction of the hyperpriming state of cognition. Hyperpriming, or indirect semantic priming, is characterized by its expansive branched hierarchical associative structure within the semantic network and presents us with a valid and useful explanatory framework with which to interpret many of the reported psychological, linguistic, and perceptual effects underlying the traditional teonanacatl ceremony.