SUMMARY 



Wh 



relate to food, most especially maize, it is noteworthy that the 

 narcotic Nymphaea anipla of that region is prominent in its 

 appearance in this Codex in ritual context. Its narcotic proper- 

 ties have been discussed by Emboden (1981, 1982) in the context 

 of ritual use. I would assert that the diving Chac motif that is so 

 frequent among the figures in the Dresden Codex as well as in 

 Mayan ceramic representations is emblematic of that figure that 

 goes into the aquatic underworld where Nymphaea grows. The 

 Chac is sometimes metamorphosed into a toad, a toad-dog 

 hybrid form, a jaguar or the toad-frog (God X). The jaguar has 

 been called the ''water lily jaguar'' by Coe (1973), as it is often 

 associated with the water lily; and the frog and toad are both 

 metamorphic creatures associated with shamanic transforma- 

 tions. The further implication of such narcotics as Ipomoea vio- 

 lacea, Turhina corynihosa, Salvia ciivinorum -and PsI/ocyhe spQcks 

 lend credence to the assertion that this is a catalogue of divina- 

 tory plants as well as a calendrical document. Even Nicotiana 

 undulata must be included in a catalogue of narcotics used in a 

 ritual context given the known potency of this tobacco. Furst 

 (1976) presents an excellent exposition of this thesis. 



In summation, we may now view this Codex from another 

 standpoint: that of presenting the magico-divinatory aspects of 

 the life of the people who produced this extraordinary document 

 as revealed by the prominent position of plants having narcotic 

 properties figuring into the imagery of the Codex. Much remains 

 to be deciphered with respect to this formidable document. Per- 

 haps some of the assertions presented here will be an adjunct to 

 further research on one of the most precious pre-Cortesian codi- 

 ces, and indeed, one of the most important documents of the 

 early Americas. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



The frequency with which plant motifs are figured in the 

 Dresden Codex necessitates the reader's consultation of a pub- 

 lished edition. The figures selected are but a fraction of those 



122 



