Researchers examining the remains of a great banquet found in an area from the Wari period of the former Peruvian empire dating from the ninth century BC; He found that the seeds of a psychoactive plant called vilca (Anadenanthera colubrina) may once have been mixed with chicha, a beer made from the fruit of the Peruvian pepper (Schinus molle) to make a special drink.
The researchers who set off from this discovery; He concluded that the Wari Empire may have used ‘hallucinogenic’ beer there to garner support in new regions. Research team; He suspects that this hallucinogenic beverage may have created a comforting psychedelic state in humans.
Vilca seeds may have been used as a method of ‘persuasion’
Prior to the ‘Late Horizon’ era of the Wari Empire, such items were used by the political elite as valuable resources found in trees that grow deep in the mountains; however, it seems that this situation changed at some point and hallucinogens started to be used by a wider audience regardless of social class. According to the research, this is because the Wari leaders are trying to win the hearts of the people of the Quilcacampa region, or rather to keep them pleasant, by mixing hallucinogenic substances with alcohol.
Researchers; He speculates that the spiritual and social feelings that emerged from the sharing of this psychedelic substance with the public may have been used to spread a new religious order or create a sense of harmony.
On the other hand, the team; He notes that guests who do not have access to vilca seeds and have no knowledge of how the drink is prepared cannot reciprocate this experience. This means that vilca seeds may have acted as a method of ‘persuasion’, strengthening the influence of the Wari Empire to expand into new lands.
After the Wari Empire, the Incas may have used a similar method.
In addition, archaeologists think the seeds in chicha were offered to ordinary people, as they allegedly contain compounds that may increase psychotropic effects, unlike the Wari elite, who prefer to grind and sniff the seeds. The depiction of some beer vessels with vilca capsules in the Wari regions of Peru supports the view that this method was also widely used in other parts of the empire.
With the arrival of the Inca Empire around 1450 AD, the seeds of vilca ceased to be used as a political tool; however, it is seen that beers continue to be consumed in the region. Archaeological evidence indicates that Inca leaders hosted banquets containing copious amounts of chicha to increase the joy of the community. This indicates that the Inca Empire may have followed a different but similar strategy from the Wari Empire.
However, as we have seen in history, it seems that the vilca seed alone was not enough to save any civilization.
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