Chavín is a culture that prospered in the current Peru 2,000 years before the Inca Empire. Today it is known that they resorted to access to altered states of consciousness to reinforce their social order and hierarchy. The ancient Peruvian culture used by hallucinogens left important vestiges. They are known for their agricultural innovations, artisanal production and commerce. They molded a growing social order and laid the foundations of a hierarchical society in the Andean highlands. And left the oldest direct evidence of the use of psychoactive plants in the Peruvian Andes.
Authority and visions
The University of Florida and Stanford found founded shaft tubes carved in hollow bones. They were in the heart of monumental stone structures in Chavín de Huántar. It is a prehistoric ceremonial site in the mountains of Peru. They had traces of nicotine from wild relatives of tobacco and bean residues of Vilca. It is a hallucinogen related to DMT (dimethylectamine). The leaders used these substances to have personal visions and reinforce their authority. Chavín’s rituals were exclusive. The shame tubes were in private cameras within huge stone structures. They housed only a handful of participants at the same time, which created an air of mysticism and control.
«Consuming psychoactive was not just about having visions. It was a strictly controlled ritual. Probably reserved for a few, which reinforced the social hierarchy ». Daniel Contreras, an anthropologist archaeologist at the University of Florida, affirmed it in a statement. When controlling access to these altered states, Chavín’s rulers established a powerful ideology. The ancient Peruvian culture used by hallucinogens associated leadership to mystical power and was part of the natural order.
Psychodelic and more
They extended beyond the use of psychedelics. Archaeologists have also discovered trumpets made of snails. And cameras apparently designed to enhance the impressive musical interpretations. «One of the ways in which inequality was justified or naturalized was through ideology. Impressive ceremonial experiences that convinced people ».
The findings help solve a centenary mystery on this site, located at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Chavín is related to both more egalitarian, as with the elitist empires that extended through the mountains. Controlled access to mystical experiences helps explain this important social transition. The finding occurred thanks to decades of intense excavations and advanced analytical methods.
