Nahuatl Shorts
Description: To the Aztecs, certain psychoactive mushrooms were known as teonanácatl, a Nahuatl term commonly translated as “flesh of the gods” or “divine flesh.” These mushrooms held an important place in ritual and ceremonial life, where they were consumed to induce altered states associated with visions, divination, spiritual communication, and religious revelation. Early Spanish chroniclers described mushroom ceremonies involving feasting, music, dancing, and visionary experiences, although their accounts were often filtered through a strongly hostile Christian perspective toward Indigenous religion. Following the Spanish conquest, colonial authorities attempted to suppress many traditional practices, including the ceremonial use of teonanácatl.
