A research team led by University of Cincinnati archaeologists has found evidence of an assemblage of four species of ceremonial plants beneath the endfield of a late Preclassic ball field at the Helena complex in Mexico’s ancient Mayan city of Yaxnoca. Plants included Ipomoea corymbosa (xtabentun in Mayan), Capsicum sp. (chili pepper or ic in Mayan), Hampea Trilobata (Joel), and Oxandra lanceolata (Chilkahuit). Two of these plants, jor and Cirkawit, are involved in the production of ritually related crafts, while chili pepper and Stabentun are associated with divination rituals. Extaventun (known to the Aztecs as oloruqui) produces a highly effective hallucinogenic compound.

The ancient Mayans played several ball games, including pokatok, which had rules similar to soccer and basketball. Players tried to pass the ball through rings and hoops on the wall.

“The ancient Mayans likely made ceremonial offerings during the construction of their ball courts,” said University of Cincinnati professor David Lentz.

“When they built a new building, they asked for God’s goodness to protect the people living there.”

“Some people call this a soul-entering ritual to obtain blessings from the gods and appease them.”

From 2016 to 2022, Professor Lentz and colleagues worked in the ancient Mayan city of Yaxnoca, in the state of Campeche, about 14.5 kilometers (9 miles) north of the Guatemalan border.

They discovered 2,000-year-old Mayan ceremonial deposits beneath the early piazza floor of the civil ceremonial platform on which the ball court was built in Yaxnoca’s Helena complex.

“Just like with baseball stadiums, when a building was expanded or reused, the ancient Mayans made offerings to bless the site,” said Nicholas Dunning, a professor emeritus at the University of Cincinnati.

“Archaeologists sometimes find ceramics and jewelry among these offerings, along with culturally significant plants.”

“We’ve known for years from ethnohistorical sources that the Maya also used perishable materials in these offerings, but finding them archaeologically is nearly impossible and That’s what makes this discovery using eDNA so special.”

“In tropical climates, ancient plant remains are rarely found and quickly decompose.”

However, using environmental DNA, scientists were able to identify several types known for their ritual significance.

They found evidence of a morning glory called stabentun, known for its hallucinogenic properties, lancewood, chili pepper, and jowl, whose leaves were used to wrap ritual offerings.

“It’s significant that we found evidence that these plants exist together in the same small sediment sample,” said Dr. Eric Tepe, a botanist at the University of Cincinnati.

“The fact that these four plants, known to be culturally important to the Maya, were found in concentrated samples indicates that they were intentionally and purposefully collected under this platform. I think that says a lot.”

“Interpreting a botanical collection through the opaque lens of 2,000 years of prehistory is a challenge, but this discovery helps further deepen the story of this sophisticated culture,” Professor Lenz said.

The ancient Mayans devised water filtration systems and adopted forest practices with conservation in mind.

However, they were powerless against years of drought and are thought to have cleared vast areas of forest for agriculture.

“We see the yin and yang of human existence in the ancient Maya. To me, that’s why they’re so fascinating,” Professor Lentz said.

of findings It was published in the magazine PLoS ONE.

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DL Lenz other. 2024. Psychotropic drugs and other ceremonial plants unearthed from a 2,000-year-old Mayan ritual deposit at Yaxnoca, Mexico. PLoS ONE 19 (4): e0301497; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301497