Maya Highlands Mushroom Stone

A carved tan stone mushroom effigy with a coiled figure at its base, displayed on a pedestal in a glass museum case. loading

This carved stone mushroom comes from the Guatemalan Highlands, where hundreds of similar sculptures have been recovered from archaeological sites. Scholars associate these monuments with ritual consumption of psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Together, they represent some of the earliest archaeological evidence for the ceremonial importance of psychoactive fungi in Mesoamerica.

Tags:
  • Archeology
  • Central America
  • Guatemala
  • Maya
  • Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología
Related Photos
  • Carved limestone Maya throne with two facing figures and hieroglyphs on a red museum pedestal. loading
    Piedras Negras Throne
  • Steep moss-streaked stone pyramid of Tikal's Temple V rising from the jungle under a cloudy sky. loading
    Tikal Temple 5
  • Carved Maya limestone stela at Ceibal showing a standing ruler in an ornate headdress and ceremonial dress amid glyphs. loading
    Ceibal Stele 14
  • Helicopter cockpit view over rainforest canopy toward the exposed stone summit of La Danta pyramid. loading
    La Danta Helicopter View
  • Maya polychrome ceramic plate painted with a deity figure and glyph border against a red wall. loading
    Dos Pilas Polychrome Plate
  • Weathered Maya stone temple with a central stairway and thatch-sheltered stelae in a green jungle clearing at Ceibal, Guatemala. loading
    Ceibal Temple with Stelae
View More Photos