When archaeologists discovered a ritual bundle, a pouch made from three fox snouts, in the highland Andes in Bolivia, they were curious as to what they would find in the residue. Carbon-dating showed the bundle was approximately 1,000 years old.
Chemical analysis revealed the presence of DMT, cocaine, and components of ayahuasca. Their presence is significant because these compounds come from sources both far away and from different climates, suggesting the plants were part of a trade network which spanned across the region.
It is assumed the bundle belonged to a shaman.
The announcement comes at a time when a vote is proposed in Denver to decriminalize psylocybine, the psychoactive component of shrooms. This may seem like a revolutionary step forward for a major American city but the roots of hallucinogen use goes back to a time before the continent had even been settled.
