The Tayrona and Fungi: Possible connections around a mushroom, fleur-de-Lis, and a bat cult in a pre-Hispanic indigenous tribe in Colombia
Microbial Biosystems May 30, 2024 Juan Camilo Rodriguez Martinez
The Tayrona, an indigenous tribe that lived in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in pre-Hispanic Colombia, likely used mushrooms in sacred rituals for spiritual purposes, implying a sophisticated mycological knowledge that included nutritional, medicinal, and psychoactive uses. The paper suggests that psilocybin-producing mushrooms were employed by the Tayrona, and that present-day indigenous inhabitants of the region continue such practices. Recent medical research proposes psilocybin as a treatment for anorexia, depression, anxiety, and addictions. The document connects these modern applications to Tayrona culture, suggesting they understood brain functions and mushroom effects.