MADRID, 18 (EUROPE PRESS)
Scientists have first identified the presence of a plant that is not used in antiquated plants with medicinal substances that can be used in mayas.
Investigators from the Washington State University of Mexico are detecting Mexican calendula (Tagetes lucida) in a total of 14 miniature ceramic ceramics vases.
Originally introduced more than 1,000 years ago in the peninsula of Yucatán in Mexico, the recipients also contained chemical traces presented in two types of curated and dried tobacco, Nicotiana tobacco and N. rustica. The research team, led by postdoctoral fellow in anthropology at Washington State University Mario Zimmermann, creates that the Mexican calendar is mixed with the tobacco to make it more enjoyable to smoke.
The description of the contents of the vases gives a clearer picture of the practices of the use of medicinal substances of the ancient antiquities. The research, which is published in Scientific Reports, also covers the road to future studies that investigate other types of psychoactive plants and non-psychoactive plants that smoke, masticate or inhale between mayas and other precolombinant societies.
“While it has been established that tobacco is used only in all countries before and after contact, the evidence of other plants used in medicinal or religious purposes has been widely explored,” Zimmermann said in a statement. “The methods of analysis developed in collaboration between the Department of Anthropology and the Institute of Biological Chemistry us and the ability to investigate the use of drugs in the ancient world as never before”.
The work of Zimmermann and his colleagues is likely to lead to a new method of analysis based on metabolism that can detect miles of vegetable compounds or metabolites in collected residues from containers, tubers, cucumbers and other archeological artefacts. In fact, composts can be used to identify which plants are being consumed.
Previously, the identification of antique plant residues was based on the detection of a limited number of biomarkets, such as nicotine, anabasine, cotinine and caffeine.
“The problem with this is that it is well the presence of a biomarker like the nicotine sample that smokes tobacco, not to mention that more consumption or alchemy is used in the artifact”, said David Gang, professor at the Institute of Biological Chemistry at WSU and employee of the studio. “Nuestro enfoque no solo le dice, sí, que encontra la planta que le interesa, sino que también puede decirle qué mas se staba consumi”.
Zimmermann helped to unearth the ceremonial vases used for the analysis in the 2012 opening. At the moment, a direct excavation by the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico in the works of Merida is underway. has discovered evidence of an archeological site may have limped animals for a new complex of animals.
Zimmermann and a team of archaeologists use GPS teams to divide the area into a quadrilateral similar to a calendar. Luego opens a truck through the dense jungle in search of mountainous peaks and other signs revealing ancient edifices that sometimes contain the remains of important people such as the shamans.
“When you find something really interesting like a recipient intact, it’s a sensation of allegory”, says Zimmermann. “Normally, teens are sure to find a jade account. There are usually ceramics test ceremonies, but the vases are complete with scissors and offer a great deal of interesting research.”
Zimmermann says that the research team is currently negotiating with various institutions in Mexico to obtain access to more ancient containers from the region that can be analyzed for vegetative residues. Another project that is currently underway is to search for organic residues preserved in the dental plaque of ancient human remains.