Mind-Bending Brew
An ancient civilization in the Peruvian Andes liked their beer with some mind-bending properties, New Scientist magazine reported.
Archaeologists recently studied a site that belonged to the Wari society that ruled what is now Peru between around 550 CE and 1000 CE. Researchers described the people as “the first example of an expansionary state in the Andes” but noted that there is no written record about them – only artifacts and structures.
At the Quilcapampa site, a research team came across two pits, each filled with two different seeds. One of the pits had seeds of the Schinus molle, a fruit also known as the Peruvian pepper. The other pit was packed with seeds of the vilca tree, which contain hallucinogenic substances that cause “a sensation of flying.”
In their paper, the team wrote that the pepper was used to make a fermented alcoholic drink known as chicha. But the presence of the vilca seeds suggests that the Wari combined the beer-like chicha with the hallucinogen.
The authors believe the combination created “a very mild and controlled hallucinogenic effect” and that the drink was used during feasts and celebrations.
They also theorized that the drink could have served in the Wari expansion throughout the Andes, as society leaders would use the mind-bending brew to bond with the local populace.
“Being able to provide that experience would create heightened social status among Wari leaders,” said lead author Matthew Biwer.
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