Afterglow: Vilca Beer, Pro-Social Feelings, and Wari Geopolitics in the Ancient Andes
Jacob Keer, Justin Jennings
Revista de Arqueología Americana October 6, 2025 DOI: 10.35424/rearam.i43.6051 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Geopolitics Empire Horizon Middle east State computer science Ancient history Ethnology |
| Key points | Proposes that the psychedelic vilca's afterglow could have helped rebuild communities after disruptions of imperial expansion, playing an integral role in Wari governance. |
Abstract
Although archaeologists increasingly consider the roles of psychedelics in past societies, there is little attention paid to their longer-term psychological impacts. One of these impacts is a neuroplasticity that may elicit enduring pro-social feelings. A beer laced with the psychedelic Anadenanthera colubrina (also known as vilca) was regularly consumed at feasts during the Wari Empire of Middle Horizon Peru (600-1000 CE). We suggest that vilca’s “afterglow” could have helped rebuild communities after the disruptions of imperial expansion, thus playing an integral role in Wari governance. The longer-term impacts of psychedelics may have also significantly shaped the history of other regions.