Afterglow: Vilca Beer, Pro-Social Feelings, and Wari Geopolitics in the Ancient Andes
Revista de Arqueología Americana October 6, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.35424/rearam.i43.6051 via OpenAlex
Summary
The consumption of a beer containing the psychedelic Anadenanthera colubrina during feasts in the Wari Empire may have fostered lasting pro-social feelings and helped rebuild communities following disruptions from imperial expansion. This suggests that such psychedelics could have played a significant role in Wari governance and potentially influenced the history of other regions as well.
Study at a glance
| Population | Wari Empire of Middle Horizon Peru (600-1000 CE) |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Vilca's 'afterglow' may have contributed to community rebuilding and governance in the Wari Empire. |
Abstract
Although archaeologists increasingly consider the roles of psychedelics in past societies, there is little attention paid to their longer-term psychological impacts. One of these impacts is a neuroplasticity that may elicit enduring pro-social feelings. A beer laced with the psychedelic Anadenanthera colubrina (also known as vilca) was regularly consumed at feasts during the Wari Empire of Middle Horizon Peru (600-1000 CE). We suggest that vilca’s “afterglow” could have helped rebuild communities after the disruptions of imperial expansion, thus playing an integral role in Wari governance. The longer-term impacts of psychedelics may have also significantly shaped the history of other regions.