Contemporary Uses of Psychoactive Mushrooms in the Mazatec Highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico: Diversity, Knowledge and Healing
June 16, 2025 Jesús M. González Mariscal, Genaro Guizasola Martínez 1 citation
Among the Mazatec of Mexico, the Chjota Chjine (wise ones) use Psilocybe mushrooms to communicate with spirits, diagnose imbalances causing illness, and restore health and well-being. These practices are embedded in a system of ecological and cosmological balance, also seeking rain and guiding souls. Mushroom-inspired songs carry messages from the spiritual world, and healing occurs through this sacred language. Today, rites vary, including those led by wise ones, family and community ceremonies, and forms adapted for foreigners. Common structures involve preparation and purification—special diets and sexual abstinence—for healer, patient, and family. The patient must attend to what mushrooms reveal about mistakes leading to illness and commit to change. Dreams integrate ritual experiences and knowledge.