Psychoactive and other ceremonial plants from a 2,000-year-old Maya ritual deposit at Yaxnohcah, Mexico.
PloS one January 1, 2024 David L Lentz, Trinity L Hamilton, Stephanie A Meyers et al. 6 citations
A ritual bundle buried beneath a Late Preclassic ballcourt at the Maya city of Yaxnohcah contained four medicinal and psychoactive plants, identified through environmental DNA analysis. The plants included xtabentun (Ipomoea corymbosa), a hallucinogen reported for the first time in Maya archaeology; chili pepper (Capsicum sp.), used in divination; jool (Hampea trilobata); and chilcahuite (Oxandra lanceolata), both linked to ceremonial artifact manufacture. The discovery provides direct evidence of ritual practices that have remained elusive, showing that ancient Maya ceremonies incorporated plants with medicinal and mind-altering properties.