Is Peyote the same as mescaline?: A Cultural History

Erika Dyck and Ivo Gurschler

Peyote has been used for centuries by Indigenous people and its ancestral existence as a botanical species of cactus traces back even further. Oral traditions describe a founding story of “Peyote woman,” who fell asleep on a mound of cacti while distraught about the disappearance of her brothers in a war. She dreamt about their whereabouts and the community located them safely, praising her dreams and visions, which led her to them. The Peyote cactus, growing especially near the Rio Grande in Texas and Mexico, became a treasured plant and a Sacred plant within local Indigenous spirituality... continue reading.