Earliest use of hallucinogen Ayahuasca detected in Andean mummies dated to 750AD

One wonders, with all those discovered almost intact, (mummified children, in the Andean mountains) was this not some kind of "End of the World" cult in play?

And the use of hallucinogenics, were nothing more than to entrance, children nd parents, the illusion of an after world, into sacrificing their children, for a greater good to save them from impending ecological disaster. And also save the tribe nd community.

I see parallels with today's society.

What was it that George Santayana said, I also add those that refuse to learn from the past. will continue to repeat in a never ending cycle and like the ourbris, will be forever, be chewing, the serpents tail.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Or to put it another way, those that continually repeat the past, will be forever locked into a time loop of wash, rinse, repeat.

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‘Ayahuasca and mescaline became less favored and coca consumption became more common after the Wari Empire conquered the Nazca around A.D. 750.’

No surprises there.

Shaman were Soul carriers (psychopomps) used their knowledge of the Ayahuasca & Mescaline psychoactive/hallucinogenic/psychotropic effects to alter their tribe members inner states for pain mitigation or ‘Flying’ inter-dimensional trips into the inner world pre-death. Same as Greece/Rome/Egypt/Hindu did etc.

Use of psychoactive and stimulant plants on the south coast of Peru from the Early Intermediate to Late Intermediate Period [Link]

Psychoactive and stimulant plants fulfilled an important role in the medicine, rituals and divination in ancient Peru. The arid climate of the southern Peruvian coast supports the preservation of organic remains. However, some psychoactive plants (like coca leaves or Banisteriopsis caapi ) are not native to the coastal region. Because of this, traceability of the consumption of long-distance trade plants is challenging, and their remains could have been easily overlooked in previous studies.The aim of this article is to present the results of the first toxicological analysis for individuals and trophy heads from the southern Peruvian coast. The results were correlated with iconographic and archaeological data for the consumption of psychoactive and stimulant plants from the Early Intermediate Period (EIP; 0-600 CE) until the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1476 CE) in the investigated area. The 22 individuals from the sites of Cahuachi (16), Estaqueria (1), and Yauca Valley (5; Fig. 1) were the subject of toxicological testing using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the presence of coca alkaloids and metabolites (cocaine, benzoylecgonine), and for mescaline, tryptamine, harmaline, and harmine.

The preservation of naturally mummified bodies in the Nazca drainage and Yauca Valley provided an opportunity to analyse for the first time which of the psychoactive plants were used on the southern Peruvian coast. Toxicological analysis allows us to better understand the ancient medicine, trade network and religiosity of the region of interest. Hair samples of 22 individuals (including four trophy heads) were examined using LC-MS/MS for the presence of coca alkaloids and metabolites (cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene), mescaline, tryptamine, harmaline, and harmine. LC–MS/MS was performed using electrospray ionization (ESI) in the positive mode, multiple reaction monitoring, and a deuterated internal standard (Diazepam-D5). The limits of quantification achieved for analytes were from 1 to 5 ng/g. Recoveries ranged from 91,6 to 113,7%. The method demonstrated an intraday and interday precision CV of <15%.The results of the study show that coca leaves were present on the southern Peruvian coast since the Early Nazca Period (100 BCE - 450 CE). The Nazca inhabitants were also positive tested for the presence of harmine and harmaline coming probably form Banisteriopsis caapi (the main compound of the hallucinogenic ayahuasca beverage), and the San Pedro cactus, a source of mescaline . This is the oldest archaeological evidence of the consumption of these two plants. In modern medicine, the properties of harmine have led to its use in anti-depression and anti-addiction treatment. Banisteriopsis caapi is native to the Amazonian rainforest and had to be the object of long-distance trade, which showed its important role in ancient medicine and rituals. San Pedro cactus is taken for its strong hallucinogenic properties and was detected in hair belonging to a child victim whose head was transformed into a trophy head. This is the first proof that some of the victims transformed into trophy heads were given stimulants prior to their death.

3. Nazca trophy headsFour trophy heads of the Nazca culture were the object of the analysis. The ritual of headhunting was widespread in the pre-Hispanic Andes from the Pre-Ceramic Period (1800 BCE). The Nazca culture developed a complex mummification process of the heads of their victims (Verano, 2003). To this day, more than 150 specimens have been recovered from various sites of the Nazca culture. Nevertheless, the social origins of the victims remain unknown (Knudson et al., 2009; Tello, 1918; Uhle, 1914; Verano, 2003). According to some specialists, the victims were ritually killed as an act of veneration for the gods (Proulx 1999). During the Early Nazca Period, trophy heads were associated mainly with important divinities such as the Mythical Whale Killer and anthropomorphic felines (Orefici 2012a). The iconography of the Late Nazca Period, and the fact that most trophy heads belong to adult males, suggest that they could have been killed during warfare (Carmichael, 1995; Verano, 2003). The study of isotopes reveals that the victims were born in the Nazca drainage and that their diet was like that of the rest of the society

I saw this documentary on Gayflix called about hallucinogens "How to Change your Mind" and this San Pedro evidently grows all over California. I am wondering how long now before they are all gone.