History of Psychedelics in Mexico

Exploring ancient traditions and modern practices

1. Psychoactive Plants in Pre-Columbian Mexico

1. Psychoactive Plants in Pre-Columbian Mexico

Published on February 1, 2024

Explore the deep history and sophisticated use of sacred psychoactive plants like peyote and psilocybin mushrooms in ancient Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztec and Maya.

2. Conquest, Suppression, and Syncretism in Colonial Mexico

2. Conquest, Suppression, and Syncretism in Colonial Mexico

Published on October 11, 2024

How Spanish colonization violently suppressed indigenous psychoactive plant use, the role of the Inquisition, and how practices survived through syncretism.

3. Whispers from Oaxaca: The West 'Discovers' Sacred Mushrooms

3. Whispers from Oaxaca: The West 'Discovers' Sacred Mushrooms

Published on December 4, 2024

How R. Gordon Wasson's 1957 LIFE article revealed Mazatec mushroom ceremonies with María Sabina to the West, sparking the psychedelic era but harming the community.

4. Opening the Doors: Early Western Science and Counterculture

4. Opening the Doors: Early Western Science and Counterculture

Published on January 5, 2025

Explore the initial wave of Western psychedelic research (Hofmann, Osmond), Huxley's influence, the rise of Leary and the counterculture, and the subsequent legal crackdown.

5. The Renaissance: Modern Science Revisits Psychedelics

5. The Renaissance: Modern Science Revisits Psychedelics

Published on February 11, 2025

Discover the 'psychedelic renaissance'—the return of rigorous scientific research into psilocybin and MDMA for treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction.

6. Mexico Today: Tradition, Tourism, and Tribulations

6. Mexico Today: Tradition, Tourism, and Tribulations

Published on April 30, 2025

Explore the current landscape of psychedelic use in Mexico: enduring indigenous traditions, threats from mining and tourism, ethical debates, and complex legal realities.