TEONANACATL: Ancient and Contemporary Shamanic Mushroom Names of Mesoamerca and Other Regions of the World by John W. Allen ,r TEONANACATL: Ancient and Contemporary Shamanie Mushroom Names of Mesoamerca and Other Regions of the World by John W. Allen INTRODUCTION Guzman (1990:98), noted authority on the entheogenic mushrooms of Mesoamerica wrote that "according to Wasson, nine indian tribes in Mexico use sacred mushrooms or did in the past. Five of these--the Mazatec, Mixtec, Mixe, Chatino and Zapotec indians--are located in the state of Oaxaca. Four others dwell elsewhere;[one tribe] the Nahuatl [are found], from the center of M~xico to the Pacific in Colima and Chiapas and to the Gulf of M~xico in Veracruz. Of these, the Mazahuan, Otomi and Tarascan indians apparently no longer use the sacred mushrooms, having abandoned them at some point in their forgotten past." "Eruption of the earth", "mushroom of reason", "children of the water", "our masters, the mushrooms of the world", "the most holy of lords", "little ones that spring forth", "mushrooms of the saints", and "los senors (the lords, used by Mesoamericans)", are but a few of the many endearing epithets used to describe the adoration, respect, and esteem many Mesoamericans hold when expressing their love for the sacred mushrooms. The ancient Nahua adorned the sacred mushrooms like beautiful flowers and their cultural importance has been significantly immortalized as well as botanically depicted along with other sacred plants on an ancient statue known L I~··· I 2 ANCIENT SHAMANIC as "Xochipilli" (the "prince of flowers) 'I'ect: ~=: The Nahuatl mushroom names discussed in {es::::-:=_' this study originally appeared in several hi s ; : __ codices and journals wri tten by the early Spanish historians, botanists, and friars during the 16th and 17th century, all who - ,=.. -.::.... undoubtedly wrote under the dictation of the strict hiarchy and guidance of the Holy Office x : :_:_ of the Inquisition. References of the sacred f::":- -=-. "r,- - "." - - mushrooms were recorded in the diaries, •• "- - 0"': journals and codices of the Franciscan Monk Bernardino de Sahagun (1956), the Dominican c: -=_ - Friar Diego Duran (1867 [1581J), Francisco Hernandez (1651), Co to (1983), Jacinto de la Serna (1892), Kingsbourough (1842), and Fray 1=::: :..- , - Toribo de Benavente [Motolina] (1858). These Nahua mushroom names and epithets first gained recognition within a small segment of the scientific community due to the c: __ scholarly research and published papers of Schultes (1939, 1940), Wasson & Wasson (1957), Wasson (1957), Hoogshagen (1959), Singer and Smith (1958), and Guzman (1983). \......- --= The Spanish chronicler Sahagun was the 1::-:: - _ first historian to note that the Aztec people ::;- consumed certain mushrooms which caused inebriations. In the Nahuatl language these c - mushrooms were known as Teonanacatl ("flesh of the gods"). Sahagun also wrote that these mushrooms were commonly consumed during ritualistic ceremonies performed by Aztec priests and their followers. The most c:..:: common scholarly accepted name applied to the sacred mushrooms appears to be the word c.. '. __ r ::0 SACRED MUSHROOM STUDIES VOL. III ______ -0--. ....-- . __. _ - MUSHROOM NAMES 3 ~- Teonanacatl which several historians (especially Sahagun) mentioned in their historical works. Noted ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson (1974, see Fig. 1), reported that Molina had referred to the sacred mushrooms as xochinanacatl. Xochi is the nahuatl word for flower and neuuic at.L implies mushrooms. The words teonanacatl and nanacatl were names Sahagun used when describing several species of entheogenic mushrooms which were indigenous to the New World (Sahagun, 1956). Nanacatl is also the nahuatl word for meat and is used primarily by Mexican Indians to describe entheogenic mushrooms as well as their edible and poisonous cousins. Wasson (1981) suggested that Teonanacatl could also be interpreted as "sacred mushroom" , "wondrous mushroom" r or even "divine meat. " According to Guzman (1990:96), "after Wasson called attention to the word teonanacatl it was used indiscriminately to describe any of the Mexican hallucinogenic mushroom [species). But Sahagun applied it only to those mushrooms used by the nahuatl tribe. It no longer has currency; at any rate, neither Reko, Weitlaner, Schultes nor Wasson found [or uncovered any evidence that the word) teonanacatl [was currently) being used by modern indians. However, I[Guzman) discovered that a similar [word], teotlaquilnanacatl, was the popular name applied to sacred mushrooms such as P[silocybe) mexicana Heim and P[silocybe] SACRED MUSHROOM STUDIES VOL. III j I-----------.. .•--~;T ..p 4 ANCIENT SHAMANIC caerulescens Murr. by the indians who use them S2..::-_::.;: _- in the region of Necaxa [in the] state of the be '3 ~ :' -r : Puebla--A Nahuatl region This naturally the sac re : raises the question: Was the Nahuatl word essens-= teotlaquilnanacatl misconstrued by Sahagun to d i s c r Lr t c : : be [interpreted as] t.eonenec e tl? " (Guzman, (Saha:::''':':-_ 1960) cons·...:.-:-:-.~:: The ritualistic use of t.eoiiane ce t.L was serve:::.. pandemic throughout Mesoamerica during the saici .. time of the conquest and appears to have been no rr.c::--= z : a traditional culture as well as an integral the _-:.:.~.:: structure within the widespread Aztec empire iione: Both the Spanish clergy (especially the Holy the::-.. Office of the Inquisition) and the some. conqueroring historians all described the en t.et:e : mushrooms and their ritualistic use as sea:5 barbaric pagan practices and the church nOGc..:._-~: vehemently deplored and opposed the ri tuals employed by those who consumed t.hern , often die z: _.' torturing the practicioners, sometimes be 6:3.::~. murderously. The clergy and the conquerors t.be : .:~ alike, believed that the use of the mushrooms vi 5:" z :: : and the pagan rituals which followed their use i n -.-':'s : to be devil worshipi venonously opposing and be 5. __ prosecuting those who performed or practiced wo~ _ such heresies. sc=~'~:':-= - - t.t:e: _- The Spanish were mycophobic, blatently 0:= -= .: displaying their abhorrence towards those who C::-~5_:~ consumed the sacred mushrooms. The many 0::~ 5' historians and clergy who documented the W2..::':.:: widespread use of the sacred mushrooms as well pe e:-: as many other sacred plants, provided history V':'5':': with written detailed proof of their wc,,.- negativity towards such use and practices. e--:,:_: - SACRED MUSHROOM STUDIES VOL. III ...... _-_.- --_._-------........".,..... ••••• MUSHROOM NAMES 5 Sahagun (1956) has provided history with the best description on the use and effects of the sacred mushrooms among the Aztec. And in essense, presented to his hiarchy, wri tten discriptions of many of the effects which he (Sahagun) assumed occurred in those who consumed the mushrooms: "At the very first, mushrooms had been served. They ate them at the time when, they said, the shell trumpets were blown. They ate no more food; they only drank chocolate during the night. And they ate the mushrooms with honey. When the mushrooms took effect on them, then they danced, then they wept. But some, while, still in command of their senses, entered [and] sat there by the house on their seats; they danced no more, but only sat there nodding. "One saw in vision tha t already he would die in battle; one saw in vision that he would be eaten by wild beasts; one saw in vision that he would take captives in war; one saw in vision that he would be rich, wealthy; one saw in vision that he would buy slaves---he would be a slave owner; one saw in vision that he would commit adultry---he would be struck by stones---he would be stoned; one saw in vision that he would steal---he would also be stoned; one saw in vision that his head would be crushed by stones---they would condemn him; one saw in vision that he would perish in the water; one saw in vision that he would live in peace, tranquility, until he died; one saw in vision that he would fall from a roof-top---he would fall to his death. However many things were to befall one, he then sawall in vision: even that he would be drowned. SACRED MUSHROOM STUDIES VOL. III ----------- .•••--..-. ..p... f 6 ANCIENT SHAMANIC "And when the effects of the mushrooms had musr.;: :: left them, they consulted among themselves and told one another what they had seen in vision. And they saw in vision what would befall those dr..:.=-_:·: who had eaten no mushrooms, and what they went (Sc.:-_:,. ~ about doing. Some were perhaps thieves, some perhaps committed adultry.However many things there were, -all were told---that one ab}...,.- ..---- would take captives, one would become a 1- -- seasoned warrior, a leader of the youths, one would die in battle, become rich, buy slaves, provide banquets, ceremonially bathe slaves, commi t adul try, be strangled, perish in the 'II~"::='--:- - water, drown. Whatsoever was to befall one, UL': :.. -:_ they then sawall [in vision]. " V"T-G..,--- ..- - _. mL::::_::·:·- Aaronson and Osmond (1969) suggested that a .::;::'.:-..;.: Sahagun "in writing of the mushrooms often re=~::·_ -0. referred to [the users] disconsolate, ("::::>~o : dissolute, disintegrating [describing their] r::..=~= state of personality [while under the 1:.:==-_-::::.. : - -: influence] " of the mushrooms. Special t.:-.~ attention is now focused on the following rc __ : discriptions of some of the effects of the mushrooms upon their users: t.r.e: - -- "T'he bad youth becomes crazed mad, he .:.:H-:-:::::.- -= _- . _ _ goes about eating mushrooms." (Sahagun, 1956, sr.e-:«, book 10:12). c::: -=.:..:. "The one of noble linage when he is a bad nobleman, goes about eating mushrooms." f·.-=.-: :: (Sahagun, 1956, book 10:20) It.'':-..:._: Q~-":'::. -:: "The bad noblewoman lS infamous, very tse :: -:: audacious, stern, proud, very stupid, brazen, besotted, drunk.