Ancient Peruvians may have served hallucinogenic drink at political meets
A study shows that the ancient Wari people used to mix special berries, known for their hallucinogenic properties, with a popular alcoholic drink.
Chicha served at the yearly "Fiesta del Huán", winter solstice
ceremony awaiting the rising Sun (Sué) in Muisca and various other
indigenous traditions. (photo credit: VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Politicians in Ancient Peru
may have mixed a hallucinogenic concoction for consumption at parties
and summits with neighboring political dignitaries, a new study has
found.
The study, which was published in the peer-reviewed archeological journal Antiquity
on Wednesday, outlined how a recent archaeological study in Southern
Peru showed that the ancient Wari people, who lived in the country from
600-1000 AD, used to mix special berries known for their hallucinogenic
properties with a popular alcoholic drink – which was then served to
visiting political representatives as a means to foster ties.
The
Waris would mix the hallucinogenic “Vilca” berry with their traditional
maize-based “chicha” beverage, according to the researchers’ discovery
of psychotropic plant remains in a Wari “chicha brewery.”
“The
importance of Wari feasting, especially in forging hierarchical ties
within and between groups, is well documented,” the researchers wrote.
“A host who provides alcohol and food to guests reinforces patron-client
relationships, forging an indebtedness that confirms the heightened
position of the hosts.”
While
researchers did not find evidence of direct consumption of this
alcoholic/hallucinogenic cocktail, the presence of the ingredients
beside each other in a facility where these beverages were made leads
researchers to believe that the only logical conclusion is that they
were ingested together during special occasions.
Illustration of an archer from the Wari people, who ruled Peru from 500-1000 AD. (credit: VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
“The considerable effort required to obtain the hallucinogen
suggests that the use of Vilca to access the supernatural
through-altered states of consciousness was an important part of the
Wari political economy,” the study’s authors declared.
Not
all experts are convinced that the archaeological find is sufficient
evidence of the drink’s consumption, as curator Ryan Williams of the
Field Museum in Chicago, who has excavated the ruins of a Wari
ceremonial center at Cerro Baúl in Peru, told National Geographic in an email.
The
hypothesis is “intriguing,” Williams says, though he believes that the
evidence for consumption of Vilca and Chicha together is currently
lacking.
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