A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests psychoactive substances were tools for social control and hierarchy in the ancient Chavín culture of the Andes. The research team, led by archaeologist Daniel Contreras from the University of Florida, analyzed 23 artifacts found at the archaeological site of Chavín de Huántar in Peru, revealing evidence of controlled rituals involving hallucinogenic substances.
The Chavín civilization, which flourished in the central Andes from roughly 900 BCE to 650 BCE, served as a link between earlier egalitarian cultures and the class-based empires that emerged later in South America. The Chavín people are known for their agricultural innovations, craft production, and trade, which helped establish the foundation of what is known as the Chavín Phenomenon.
Archaeologists discovered snuff tubes carved from animal bone and shell in small private chambers deep within the stone structures at Chavín de Huántar. These tubes were found in restricted-access areas, suggesting that the use of psychoactive substances was exclusive and controlled by select participants. "Taking psychoactives was not just about seeing visions. It was part of a tightly controlled ritual, likely reserved for a select few, reinforcing the social hierarchy," said Daniel Contreras, according to Discover Magazine.
Analysis of the artifacts revealed traces of nicotine from wild relatives of the tobacco plant and residues of vilca bean, a hallucinogen related to dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The presence of these substances suggests that the Chavín elites used them in rituals that shaped early class structures. Access to these rituals helped justify inequality through ceremonial experiences that induced profound and possibly terrifying visions.
"One of the ways that inequality was justified or naturalized was through ideology—through the creation of impressive ceremonial experiences that made people believe this whole project was a good idea," said Contreras, according to a statement reported by Live Science. By generating intense experiences, an ideology was constructed that justified the emerging hierarchy.
The restricted nature of these rituals likely created an aura of mystery and control, reinforcing the authority of the elite class over the workers who built Chavín's monuments. The limited capacity of the galleries where the artifacts were found suggests that only a few individuals—probably members of a religious or political elite—participated in these ceremonies.
The Chavín de Huántar complex, located at an elevation of 10,000 feet, includes several monumental buildings overseeing a large plaza. The site has been the subject of investigation for over a century, revealing its connections to both earlier egalitarian societies and later elite empires.
Archaeologist John Rick, professor emeritus at Stanford University, has spent nearly thirty years investigating Chavín de Huántar with his team, uncovering evidence of social hierarchies and the use of controlled mystical experiences to justify inequality. The researchers speculate that the rulers of Chavín society used their experiences with hallucinogens to exert control over society, establishing an ideology intertwined with mystical power.
The artifacts analyzed in the study included snuff tubes and spoons, which were likely used as inhalers for substances like vilca and nicotine. The tubes, possibly made from peregrine falcon wing bones, were found in restricted-access areas within the Chavín complex. This study is the first to show the specific drugs that were inhaled at Chavín de Huántar.
"It's exciting that ongoing excavations can be combined with cutting-edge archaeological science techniques to get us closer to understanding what it was like to live at this site," said Contreras, in a press release published on EurekAlert.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
