The Forgotten Mushrooms of Ancient Peru
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) April 22, 2012 Peter Trutmann 8 citations
Mushrooms were widely used in pre-Hispanic Peru, as shown by images on ceramics, metal objects, and textiles from various cultures spanning approximately 1200–200 BCE to the European conquest. The most abundant and vivid depictions come from Moche/Mochica art. Mushrooms appear associated with high authorities, shamans, and sacrificial victims. Realistic images allowed identification of Calvatia, Morchella, Amanita muscaria, and Psilocybe species. Some could not be identified due to limited knowledge of Peruvian fungi. Identified mushrooms have culinary, medicinal, and spiritual properties. Since Amanita muscaria has not been confirmed in Peru, it may have been traded from farther north or Mesoamerica, where it was deeply embedded in religious cultures.