Datura quids at Pinwheel Cave, California, provide unambiguous confirmation of the ingestion of hallucinogens at a rock art site.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America December 8, 2020 David W Robinson, Kelly Brown, Moira Mcmenemy et al. 40 citations
At a California rock art site called Pinwheel Cave, fibrous quids found in the ceiling alongside a painting possibly depicting Datura flowers were analyzed. Chemical tests detected hallucinogenic alkaloids scopolamine and atropine in the quids, and microscopic analysis identified most as Datura wrightii. Three-dimensional analysis showed the quids were chewed, indicating consumption of the plant in the cave beneath the paintings. Archaeological evidence and dating show the site was used from the Late Prehistoric through Colonial periods for various activities. The findings suggest the rock painting represents the plant and codified communal rituals involving this powerful entheogen, providing the first unambiguous evidence of hallucinogen consumption at a rock art site and challenging prior assumptions about trance and rock art imagery.