A group of scientists first identified the presence of a non-tobacco plant in the ancient containers of medicinal substances used by the Maya.
Researchers from Washington State University have discovered Mexican calendula (Tagetes lucida) in waste from 14 miniature Mayan ceramic vessels.
Originally buried over 1000 years ago in the Yucatan Peninsula In Mexico, the containers also contain chemical traces that are present in two types of dried and dried tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum Y N. rustica.
Researchers at Washington State University discovered Mexican marigold (Tagetes lucida). Photo: Wikipedia
The research team, led by Washington State University anthropology postdoctoral fellow Mario Zimmermann, believes that Mexican calendula was mixed with tobacco to make smoking more pleasant.
The discovery of the contents of the barrels provides a clearer picture of the practices of using medicinal substances of the ancient Maya. The research, which was published in Scientific reports, also paves the way for future investigations other types of psychoactive and non-psychoactive plants that were smoked, chewed, or inhaled among the Maya and other pre-Columbian societies.
“While it has been established that tobacco was widely used throughout America before and after contact, the evidence for other plants used for medicinal or religious purposes remained largely unexplored,” Zimmermann explained in a statement. And he explained: “The analysis methods developed in collaboration between the Department of Anthropology and the Institute of Biological Chemistry give us the opportunity to research into drug use in the ancient world like never before“.
A new method
The work of Zimmermann and his colleagues has been made possible with a new analysis method based on metabolómics which can detect thousands of plant substances or metabolites in waste collected from containers, pipes, bowls and other archaeological artifacts. The compounds can then be used to identify which plants were consumed.
One of the miniature Mayan ceramic vessels in which they found the remains of medicinal substances. Photo: WSU
Previously, the identification of old plant residues was based on the detection of a limited number of biomarkers, such as nicotine, anabasine, cotinine and caffeine.
“The problem with this is that although the presence of a biomarker such as nicotine shows that tobacco was smoked, it doesn’t tell you what else was consumed or stored in the artifact,” said David Gang, a professor at the WSU Institute for Biological Chemistry. and co-author of the study. “Our approach not only tells you, yes, that you have found the plant you’re interested in, it can also tell you what else was consumed.”
Zimmermann helped two of the ceremonial ships used for analysis in the spring of 2012. At the time, he was working on an excavation conducted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico on the outskirts of Mexico. Merida, where a contractor discovered evidence of a Mayan archaeological site while clearing land for a new housing complex.
Zimmermann and a team of archaeologists used GPS equipment to divide the area into a checkerboard-like grid. They made their way through the dense jungle in search of small hills and other telltale signs of ancient buildings where the remains of important people such as the shamans.
The team of archaeologists working in Mexico. Photo: WSU
“When we find something really interesting, like an intact container, it gives us a feeling of joy,” said Zimmermann. “Usually we’re lucky when we find a jade bead. There are literally tons of pottery shards, but complete ships are rare and offer great potential for interesting research“.
Zimmermann said the research team is currently negotiating with several institutions in Mexico to access older containers in the region that they can analyze for plant debris.
Another project they are currently carrying out is to search for organic remains that have been preserved in the plaque of ancient human remains.
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