In 1937, Dr. Bias Pablo Reko, my co-collector in 
Oaxaca, sent me several pieces of a mushroom which he 
found used as a narcotic by the Otomi Indians of Puebla 
and adjacent regions. Unfortunately, these specimens 
were poorly preserved, but they are referable to the ge¬ 
nus Paneolus and belong to a related if not to the same 
species as those which were collected in Oaxaca. 
Johnson (9) reports that three kinds of mushrooms 
are used by Mazatec bryjos (witch-doctors); the names 
of these he reports as steyi and tsami-ye, tsamikishu , and 
tsamikindi. Although botanical identifications were not 
made, it is probable that these are all species of Paneolus , 
possibly P. campanulatus var. sphinctrinus and its close 
allies P. campanulatus L. and P.papilionaceus Ft. 
When identifiable specimens of the fungus had been 
secured and when ample information regarding its use 
was obtained, it became evident that Paneolus campan¬ 
ulatus var. sphinctrinus was the teonanacatl of the ancient 
Aztecs. 
Paneolus campanulatus Linnaeus var. sphinc¬ 
trinus {Fries) Bresadola Iconographia Mycologica 
(1931) t. 894. 
Agaricus (Paneolus) sphinctrinus Fries Epicrisis sys- 
tematis mycologici seu synopsis Hymenomycetum 
(1836-1838) 235-236. 
Bresadola’s description is: 
“ Pileus carnosulus, parabolicus, obtuse acuminatus, 
opacus, levis, udus, glaber, fuligineo-nigricans, sicco oli- 
vaceo-lividus vel fuligineus, subsericeus, li~2i cm. altus 
latusque, velo albo primitus dentato-appendiculatus; la¬ 
mellae subconfertae, postice adnatae, cinereo-nigricantes, 
atro-maculatae, acie concolores; stipes fistulosus, eylin- 
draceo-filiformis, aequalis, fuligineo-griseus, apice albo- 
[89] 
