Teotlaqualli

Teotlaqualli, meaning "divine food" and also known as teopatli ("divine medicine") among other names, is a hallucinogen that was used by the Aztecs in the pre-Columbian era.^[2]^[1]^[3] It was made from a combination of ololiuhqui (Ipomoea corymbosa; a morning glory), picietl (Nicotiana rustica; Aztec tobacco), and the ashes of poisonous animals such as spiders, scorpions, and snakes.^[1]^[3]^[2] Ipomoea corymbosa contains serotonergic psychedelics like ergine and isoergine,^[4] while Nicotiana rustica contains very high concentrations of nicotine as well as harmala alkaloids.^[5]^[6] Both Ipomoea corymbosa and Nicotiana rustica are known to be or have been hallucinogenic.^[2] The full contents of the drug are unknown.^[1]^[2]

Other namesTeotlacualli; Teopatli; Unción abominabl e; Tinta; Comida divina; Time divina; Betún divino; Betún del dios

Quick facts Combination of, Ololiuhqui ...

Teotlaqualli
Combination of
Ololiuhqui	Serotonergic psychedelic; Hallucinogen
Picietl	Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist
Poisonous animals	Unknown
Clinical data
Other names	Teotlacualli; Teopatli; Unción abominabl e; Tinta; Comida divina; Time divina; Betún divino; Betún del dios
Routes of administration	Transdermal (paste)^[1]^[2]
ATC code	None

Teotlaqualli was a black unguent or paste that was applied to the skin and was absorbed transdermally.^[1]^[2] It was used by Aztec priests and healers, as well as on some occasions by Aztec emperors and even soldiers.^[1]^[2] It was believed that the drug eliminated fear and produced a proper mental state for serving the gods.^[3]^[2] The drug was also used as a medicine to treat various ailments.^[2] It is thought that teotlaqualli may explain the dark coloration of some Aztec gods as shown in the codices.^[1]^[2] The Aztecs also offered teotlaqualli to the gods as food.^[1]^[2] European colonialists believed teotlaqualli to be a form of witchcraft that caused its users to turn into witches or demons and to see and speak to the devil.^[1]^[2]^[7]

Teotlaqualli was described by Fray Diego Durán in his book Historia de las Indias de Nueva España e Islas de Tierra Firme (completed in 1581 but not published for centuries later) as well as by other European colonialists such as Hernándo Ruiz de Alarcón (published in 1629).^[1]^[7]^[2] Jan G. R. Elferink extensively reviewed teotlaqualli in his 1999 paper Teotlaqualli: The Psychoactive Food of the Gods.^[7]^[2]

References

[1]
Carod-Artal FJ (2015). "Hallucinogenic drugs in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures" [Alucinógenos en las culturas precolombinas mesoamericanas] (PDF). Neurologia. 30 (1). Barcelona, Spain: 42–49. doi:10.1016/j.nrl.2011.07.003. PMID 21893367.
[2]
Elferink JG (1999). "Teotlaqualli: the psychoactive food of the Aztec gods". Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 31 (4): 435–440. doi:10.1080/02791072.1999.10471773. PMID 10681110.
[3]
Mehling R, Triggle DJ (2009). Hallucinogens. Infobase Publishing. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-4381-0205-4. Many cultures throughout history have used hallucinogens like these flowers from the morning glory plant, ipomoea violacea, in religious ceremonies and rituals. The Aztecs made a paste, called teotlaqualli, from the morning glory plant, which was rubbed on the skin of priests and soldiers. The Aztecs believed teotlaqualli helped priests and soldiers achieve the mental state necessary to serve their gods. [...] The Aztecs in pre-Columbian Mexico made a paste called teotlaqualli from the hallucinogenic flower ololiuqui (a part of the morning glory plant). Rubbed on the skin of Aztec priests and soldiers, ololiuqui was thought to eliminate fear and place the user in a proper mental state to serve the Aztec gods.
[4]
Ziaja A, Niedzielska-Andres E, Ciszowski K, Pomierny-Chamioło L (May 2025). "Plant-derived hallucinogens: neuropharmacological properties and psychoactive mechanisms - a narrative review" (PDF). Folia Medica Cracoviensia. 65 (1): 35–47. doi:10.24425/fmc.2024.153284. PMID 41061087. Ololiuhqui and badoh negro are psychoactive preparations made from the seeds of climbing plants in the Ipomoeagenus, native to Central and South America. Ololiuhqui is derived from Ipomoea corymbosa (formerly Rivea corymbosa), and badoh negro from Ipomoea violacea. [...] The seeds of I. corymbosa and I. violacea contain D-lysergic acid amide (LSA/ergine) and D-isolysergic acid amide (isoergine), which are structurally related to LSD, an ergot alkaloid [1].
[5]
Godlaski TM (January 2013). "Holy smoke: tobacco use among native american tribes in North America" (PDF). Substance Use & Misuse. 48 (1–2): 1–8. doi:10.3109/10826084.2012.739490. PMID 23153043. Archived from the original on 24 June 2026. The tobacco used by these Native American nations was of the variety Nicotiana rustica (Figure 1). It is a variety that has higher nicotine content than other varieties of tobacco: 3.9–8.6% in the dried leaves as compared with Nicotiana tabacum with 0.05–4% (Ratsch, 2005). Unlike modern commercial varieties of smoking tobacco, the alkaloids contained in Nicotiana rustica can produce altered states of consciousness and hallucinations when consumed in high doses (Ratsch, 2005; von Gernet, 1995). There is fairly compelling evidence that it was used as such in South and Central America (von Gernet, 1995) [...]
[6]
Janiger O, de Rios MD (1976). "Nicotiana an hallucinogen?". Economic Botany. 30 (3): 295–297. doi:10.1007/BF02909739. ISSN 0013-0001.
[7]
Andreacchio A (2013). The Role of Psychoactive Substances as Entheogens and Medicines in Pre-Columbian Mexico (PDF) (Thesis). University College London. In the Book of Gods and Rites, Durán wrote that priests would smear themselves in bitumen called teotlaqualli ("flesh/food of the gods"), which they believed would protect them from evil. It contained ground ololiuqui seeds and mashed "poisonous creatures" such as spiders, vipers and scorpions.13 Colonial missionary José de Acosta also wrote of teotlaqualli that additionally contained large quantities of tobacco. He added that in applying this ointment to their skin, the priests would become sorcerers who conversed with the devil and lost all fear, becoming cruel and bold deliverers of human sacrifice. 14 Hernándo Ruiz de Alarcón dedicated two chapters on the use of ololiuqui in his 1629 Treatise on the Heathen Superstitions That Today Live Among the Indians Native to This New Spain, and similarly described its application by priests in teotlaqualli. Elferink wrote extensively on teotlaqualli in a 1999 paper, Teotlaqualli: The Psychoactive Food of the Gods. In the article, Elferink says that its application was not exclusive to priests, but that new emperors were ceremonially anointed with it, as well as those recently deceased.

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