Psilocybin mushrooms have been used for millennia by various tribes worldwide, but especially in the regions of Central and South America. It’s estimated that as early as 1,000 – 500 BC, indigenous tribes built “mushroom gods” temples in Guatemala and Mexico. There are also other motifs and mushroom stones dated around 200 BC throughout Central America.
In this region, psilocybin mushrooms have often been used to partake in religious and spiritual ceremonies. They were primarily used for healing and divination. When the Spanish came and conquered the Americas, things began to change. These rituals that had been around for ages were suddenly considered barbaric and even satanic. The rituals were considered intolerable for the leaders of the Catholic church – largely because the sacrament in Catholicism happened to be wine.
Because of this, people began to hide their rituals and suddenly, the use of psilocybin mushrooms had become a hidden, underground practice of the culture.