On receipt of this, to us, sensational news, we resolved 
to embark upon a quest for surviving traces of that cult. 
At the time we knew nothing, absolutely nothing, about 
the cultures of Middle America. What awaited us in 
Mexico turned out to exceed our most sanguine antici- 
pations, in the intellectual adventure of discovering for 
ourselves the rich Indian cultures of Middle America and 
in our rediscovery of the rite of the sacred mushroom. 
In the beginning we discovered Ing. Roberto J. Weit- 
laner. Without minimizing what we owe to others, I 
rejoice that this occasion presents itself when I may 
properly define my debt to him. He led us by the hand 
on our first excursion on muleback into the Indian coun- 
try, to Huautla de Jiménez; on my second trip to Mazat- 
lan de los Mixes; then on my visits to San Augustin 
Loxicha in the Sierra Costera, and to the Mazahua coun- 
try. Forten years I have had repeated recourse to him, 
to tap his immense knowledge of the Indians, their ways, 
their languages, their history. He has guided my steps 
in tae libraries, unearthed apt quotations in the sources 
bearing on our theme, introduced me to others working 
in the field who could also pin down facts. His patience, 
good humor, and jove de vivre, in the Sierra and in Mexico 
City, are unfailing. But above all else I have tried to 
learn from him his secret of dealing with the Indians. 
The Indians are simply living by the conventions of an 
orally transmitted culture such as our own forebears lived 
by only a little while ago. When you visit their villages 
you make allowances for this time lag. You do not treat 
them kindly as inferiors or children. You do not treat 
them as though they were equals. The Indians are quick 
to see through such fronts. Ing. Weitlaner taught us to 
treat the Indians as equals—a secret simple yet elusive. 
As the poet said, truly ‘this is the famous stone that 
turneth all to gold’. 
[ 169 ] 
