The Influence of Psychotropic Flora and Fauna on Maya Religion [and Comments and Reply]

Ríos, Marlene Dobkin de; ALGER, N; Crumrine, N. Ross; Furst, Peter T.; Harman, Robert C.; Hellmuth, Nicholas M.; Hopkins, Nicholas A.; King, William C.; Koss, Joan D.; Barre, Weston La; Landar, Herbert; Long, Joesph K.; Proskouriakoff, Tatiana; Rubel, Arthur J.; Samaranch, Francisco; Wescott, Roger W.

doi:10.1086/201452

Cited by 43 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…When marine toads and other toxic Anurans are skinned, the poison glands removed, and the flesh washed, they are a palatable food resource much used by past and present tropical American societies (Cooke 1989). The intemperate inferences found in Dobkin de Ríos (1974) and Kennedy (1982) and often repeated uncritically in general works (e.g. Weaver 1981, p. 124) demonstrate the dangers of misusing analogy.…”

Section: Analogy In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 95%

“…A second case is the over-reaching associations of Neotropical marine toad (Rhinella [formerly Bufo] marina), both in artistic depictions and faunal assemblages from archaeological contexts, with altered states of consciousness, hallucinations, and shamanism, due to the presence of tryptamine bufotenin(e) (N-dimetil-5-hidroxitriptamina) within the milky substance exuded from its parotid glands (e.g. Dobkin de Ríos 1974;Furst 1972b;Kennedy 1982). Despite claims that this substance is a hallucinogen (Weil and Davis 1994), it is still not clear whether it crosses the blood-brain barrier.…”

Section: Analogy In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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A 4,000-year-old shaman’s stone cache at Casita de Piedra, western Panama

Dickau

Redwood

Cooke

2012

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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During new excavations at the preceramic rockshelter of Casita de Piedra in western Panama, a cache of 12 unusual stones was recovered near the back wall, dating to between 4800 and 4000 cal BP. The stones include quartz, pyrite, a chalcedony vein nodule, a bladed quartz and jarosite aggregate and a humanmodified dacite cylinder. Based on the unusual lithic types and the context of the cache, we suggest that these stones once belonged to a ritual specialist, such as a healer or shaman. Special stones are frequently mentioned as being an important component of a shaman's ritual paraphernalia in ethnographic records of various historic Native American groups throughout Central and South America, including the Bribri and Cabécar of southeastern Costa Rica and western Panama (formerly known as the 'Talamanca'). The cache of stones recovered at Casita de Piedra may represent the earliest material evidence in Central America of shamanistic practice.

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Section: Analogy In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Analogy In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

A 4,000-year-old shaman’s stone cache at Casita de Piedra, western Panama

Dickau

Redwood

Cooke

2012

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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“…In Mesoamerican cultures, hallucinogens have been extensively used in ritualistic and religious practices since pre-Columbian times 42 . This long history of use resulted in the accumulation of knowledge about the effects of hallucinogens, and skill in their use 43 . In many of the Mesoamerican hallucinogen practices, wild tobacco ( Nicotiana rustica ) is a common addition 44 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral arrest and a characteristic slow waveform are hallmark responses to selective 5-HT2A receptor activation

Contreras

Khumnark

Hines

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Perception, emotion, and mood are powerfully modulated by serotonin receptor (5-HTR) agonists including hallucinogens. The 5-HT2AR subtype has been shown to be central to hallucinogen action, yet the precise mechanisms mediating the response to 5-HT2AR activation remain unclear. Hallucinogens induce the head twitch response (HTR) in rodents, which is the most commonly used behavioral readout of hallucinogen pharmacology. While the HTR provides a key behavioral signature, less is known about the meso level changes that are induced by 5-HT2AR activation. In response to administration of the potent and highly selective 5-HT2AR agonist 25I-NBOH in mice, we observe a disorganization of behavior which includes frequent episodes of behavioral arrest that consistently precede the HTR by a precise interval. By combining behavioral analysis with electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings we describe a characteristic pattern composed of two distinctive EEG waveforms, Phase 1 and Phase 2, that map onto behavioral arrest and the HTR respectively, with the same temporal separation. Phase 1, which underlies behavioral arrest, is a 3.5–4.5 Hz waveform, while Phase 2 is slower at 2.5–3.2 Hz. Nicotine pretreatment, considered an integral component of ritualistic hallucinogen practices, attenuates 25I-NBOH induced HTR and Phase 2 waveforms, yet increases behavioral arrest and Phase 1 waveforms. Our results suggest that in addition to the HTR, behavioral arrest and characteristic meso level slow waveforms are key hallmarks of the response to 5-HT2AR activation. Increased understanding of the response to serotonergic hallucinogens may provide mechanistic insights into perception and hallucinations, as well as regulation of mood.

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“… ‡ Water lilies also may have been used as a hallucinogen during ceremonies since they contain nupharidine with aporphine-like or “opiate-like alkaloids” ( 90 , 91 ) in their rhizome, including apomorphine, nuciferine, and nornuciferines ( 92 , p. 67). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient Maya reservoirs, constructed wetlands, and future water needs

Lucero

2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The Classic Maya (c. 250 to 900 CE) in the tropical southern lowlands of Central America dealt with water scarcity during annual dry seasons and periods of climate instability via sophisticated urban reservoir systems they relied on for over a thousand years. Surface water is limited because typically rain percolates through the karstic terrain. I posit that Maya reservoirs functioned as do constructed wetlands (CWs) at present. Still-water systems like CWs and Maya reservoirs can become stagnant and nonpotable due to the build-up of nutrients that promote algal growth. Stagnant waters also serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes that spread endemic diseases. CWs keep water clean via certain aquatic plants since all plants uptake nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) and decomposing plant matter supports microbial biofilms that break down nutrients. CWs also support diverse zooplankton that prey on pathogens and bacteria that assist to denitrify water. CWs do not require the use of chemicals or fossil fuels and after the initial labor-intensive output become self-cleaning and self-sufficient with some maintenance. I posit that the Maya used a diverse array of aquatic plants and other biota to keep water clean in the same manner as do CWs, which I demonstrate using evidence from excavations and settlement maps, sediment cores and current wetlands, and the iconographic and hieroglyphic records. The next step is to combine what we know about ancient Maya reservoirs in conjunction with what is currently known about CWs to better address future water needs.

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The Influence of Psychotropic Flora and Fauna on Maya Religion [and Comments and Reply]

Cited by 43 publications

References 12 publications

A 4,000-year-old shaman’s stone cache at Casita de Piedra, western Panama

A 4,000-year-old shaman’s stone cache at Casita de Piedra, western Panama

Behavioral arrest and a characteristic slow waveform are hallmark responses to selective 5-HT2A receptor activation

Ancient Maya reservoirs, constructed wetlands, and future water needs

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