ABSTRACT
Archaeological evidence for the use of psychoactive plants exists in several forms. The most direct evidence is actual plant remains in an archaeological context. Anadenanthera seeds have been found in archaeological sites in northwestern Argentina and in northern Chile (see Fernández Distel 1980; Llagostera et al. 1988). Tobacco and Ilex guayusa (a caffeine-containing plant) leaves were excavated at the site of Niño Korin in Bolivia (Wassén 1972b; Schultes 1972). Remains of the psychoactive cacti known as San Pedro and huachuma (Trichocereus pachanoi) have been found at archaeological sites on the central Peruvian coast (Fung 1972; Polia Meconi 1996). However, these are rare occurrences possible only in dry environments with good preservation of organic materials.
