New study on the rituals of the Wari, a pre-Inca empire in Peru, reveals the recipe for a psychedelic beer prepared by the ancient civilization.
Os You were They flourished 1200 years ago, in the Peruvian Andes, and a beer laced with psychedelic substances appears to have been their greatest political and diplomatic tool.
Predecessors of the Inca Empire, the Wari dominated vast regions of present-day Peru and came to influence areas of Chile and Argentina, between the years 600 and 1000 AD. Known for their majestic cities such as Huari and Pikillaqta, mummies and elaborate objects in precious metals, the rulers used psychedelic drinks to reinforce social ties and consolidate imperial power, in community rituals.
This was already known, but a new study, published on October 6th in the Journal of American Archeology, reveals the recipe for a psychedelic beer prepared by the ancient civilization.
Wari leaders mixed seeds from the plant Anadenanthera colubrina (known locally as vilca) — with a psychedelic effect — with a craft beer produced from the fruit of Schinus soft. This combination, according to Justin Jennings, curator at the Royal Ontario Museum, co-author of the new research and cited by , it reduced the immediate intensity of the hallucinogenic effects, but prolonged the feeling of euphoria and empathy for several days or weeks.
The psychological effects of openness and emotional connection induced by drinking would be fundamental in a political system that depended on friendly interactions between people who might previously have been strangers or enemies, the study authors speculate.
Jacob Keer, independent researcher and co-author of the article, argues that the regular consumption of this psychedelic beer may even have played a central role in the consolidation of the empire, by establishing this innovative cognitive state based on greater openness and empathy which, in a context of conflicts and violence, could have helped to legitimize Wari rule and reduce tensions between communities.
But some experts remain reticent. Patrick Ryan Williams, from Arizona State University, considers the hypothesis interesting, but warns that the presence of vilca seeds together with beer remains does not prove that the two substances were mixed.
Furthermore, the Wari empire used psychedelic drugs in rituals, but it was undoubtedly not the only one. In fact, other groups in the same region were already doing so.
