Only elites used hallucinogens in ancient Andes society

Hidden Chamber in Peru Reveals Elites Used Hallucinogens to Control Society

Bone artifacts from which chemical and/or microbotanical residues of vilca and/or Nicotiana were recovered. Credit: Daniel A. Contreras / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 A hidden chamber high in Peru has revealed that more than 2,000 years ago, ancient elites used hallucinogens not just for ritual, but as a tool to shape belief and social order. The discovery sheds new light on the Chavín civilization, a culture that predates the Inca and left a lasting imprint…

Ancient Andes society used hallucinogens to strengthen social order

Snuff tubes uncovered at Chavin de Huantar in Peru reveal how leaders used mystical experiences to cement their power.

Only elites used hallucinogens in ancient Andes society

Snuff tubes and spoons unearthed at Chavín de Huántar in Peru had traces of vilca and nicotine.

Archaeologists Unearth 2000-Year-Old Evidence of Psychedelic Use by This Enigmatic Ancient Culture

New research is revealing how hallucinogens became one of the most powerful tools of Peru‘s ancient Chavín culture, helping to maintain order in their hierarchical society in the Andean highlands of pre-Columbian America. The Chavín rose to prominence two thousand years before the more well-known Inca empire, developing agriculture, crafts, and trade throughout the region. Now, new research by an international collaboration between multiple Sout…

Psychoactive drugs found in mysterious temple may have helped ancient Peruvians cement power

2500-year-old hallucinogenic rituals may have allowed Chavín de Huántar elites to gain prestige and influence

Excavations at the approximately 3000-year-old site Chavín de Huántar in the Peruvian Andes provide evidence of strictly regulated drug use