Name: “He saw a snake which told him ‘Turn your eyes and see your wife’.” Psychoactive mushrooms and plants in colonial period Mexican divination and healing with Bret Blosser
Start: 2026-08-13T14:00:00-0600
End: 2026-08-13T15:00:00-0600

SCHEDULE LAUNCH IS JUNE 21st, 2026

Welcome to the largest wild mushroom happening in North America, the 46th Annual Telluride Mushroom Festival! This program of the Telluride Institute, a 501c3 non-profit, offers a plethora of events ranging from foray and mushroom ID sessions, to hands-on demonstrations and lectures—all led by regionally, nationally, and internationally-known experts, (and we cannot forget the wide variety of social and cultural events offered, along with the famous Mushroom Parade!) there is plenty for everyone, every day.

On this website, you can filter your search by events, venues, presenters, etc. Each year the Mushroom Festival features many wonderful presentations on “all things fungi.” Presentations on similar topics are grouped together at the same venue so that attendees interested will be able to spend more time learning and interacting, and less time walking between venues. See who else is interested in each event and interact with our extended Mushroom Family.

See you soon!

“He saw a snake which told him ‘Turn your eyes and see your wife’.” Psychoactive mushrooms and plants in colonial period Mexican divination and healing with Bret Blosser

Thursday August 13, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT

Ah Haa School - Transformation Studio @ 155 W Pacific Ave, Telluride, CO 81435

This is a study of divination and healing practices in Mexico during the 17 th and 18 th centuries. The study is based on Inquisition documents, a 1629 report on ritual practices, and Inquisition edicts. Practitioners employed Psilocybe mushrooms, peyote, morning glory seeds, and pipiltzintzintli (an unidentified plant) to access information and
enable healing not available by other means. These methods were associated with indigenous people, but were widely consulted and practiced by others, ranging from Black slaves to Hispanic elites. The Church proclaimed the use of these fungi and plants to be evidence of a “pact with the devil” and attempted to extirpate the practices. Most of the divinations were performed to recover lost or stolen property. Others were undertaken to locate runaway wives, identify bewitchers, locate buried treasure, and spy on a cheating boyfriend.

All presentation in Transformation Studio are first come first serve. A line will be formed outside of Ah Haa for this presentation. There will be limited seats so please plan for a different event if this is full.

Speakers

Bret Blosser Ph.D.

Speaker

Bret Blosser received PhD in Anthropology with a focus on Mesoamerica from Tulane University in 2004. He studied with a Wixarika (Huichol) community in western Mexico and a Mazatec curandero in southern Mexico. He instructed twenty semester and summer university field programs on... Read More →

Thursday August 13, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Ah Haa School - Transformation Studio

Passholder Event (included in Festival Pass), Psychedelics

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46th Telluride Mushroom Festival

Bret Blosser Ph.D.

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46th Telluride Mushroom Festival

Bret Blosser Ph.D.

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