catl probably was the correct word for the narcotic spe¬ 
cies, and nanacatl served as a more general term. This 
more general use is found in still another one of Saha- 
gun’s botanical references to mushrooms: 
The cone-shaped mushrooms ( nanacatl ) genus compos agrorum in 
the mountains are good to eat. They are cooked for this purpose; if 
they are eaten raw or poorly cooked, they produce vomiting or diar¬ 
rhea, and they may kill. 
Further evidence of the meaning of nanacatl is found 
in the various combinations which were made by adding 
prefixes denoting the color, habitat, or attributes of the 
plant. Hernandez (8) describes the narcotic mushroom 
under the heading: “He nanacatl seu Fungorum gen- 
ere. ” He considered teonanacatl as teyhuinti or “intox¬ 
icating”, distinguishing from it several other types of 
mushrooms: iztacnanacame (white mushrooms), tlapal- 
nanacame (reddish mushrooms), and chimalnanacame 
(yellow-orbicular mushrooms). 
Jourdanet and Simeon (21) define teonanacatl as fol¬ 
lows: “( Teonanacatl) c’est a dire: champignon dan- 
gereux. La terme generique est nanacatl , qui se met en 
composition avec d’autres mots pour designer les diverses 
especes de champignons.” 
Simeon (26) analyzes several words with nanacatl as 
a root and clearly points out the meaning of the term: 
Nanacatl Champignon; quauhtla-nanacatl, champignon des bois; 
au fig. nanacatl nicte-ittitinemi (Olm.), rendre quelqu’un per- 
vers, lui donner de mauvais conseils. En comp.: nonanac ou 
nonanacauh (Olm.), mon champignon. R. nacattt 
“Nacatl Chair, viande; . . . nonac, ma viande, la chair que je 
mange. 
“ Teonanacatl Espfcce de petit champignon qui a mauvais gout, 
enivre, et cause des hallucinations; il est medicinal contre 
les fifevres et la goutte (Sah.) RR. teotl, nanacatl. 
“ Teyhuinti Qui enivre quelqu’un, enivrant; teyhuinti nanacatl, 
champignon enivrant.” 
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