Name: Mushroom Ceremony & Underwater Journey at the Dawn of Mixtec Civilization: Readings from an Ancient Mexican Pictorial Manuscript
Start: 2026-08-14T12:45:00-0600
End: 2026-08-14T13:45:00-0600

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!

Mushroom Ceremony & Underwater Journey at the Dawn of Mixtec Civilization: Readings from an Ancient Mexican Pictorial Manuscript

Friday August 14, 2026 12:45pm - 1:45pm MDT

Sheridan Opera House @ 110 N Oak St, Telluride, CO 81435

Mushroom Ceremony & Underwater Journey at the Dawn of Mixtec Civilization: Readings from an Ancient Mexican Pictorial Manuscript

Join Bret Blosser to discuss images from an ancient Mixtec painted manuscript, the Vienna Codex, which illustrate a Psilocybe mushroom ceremony attended by nine deities engaged in the foundation of Mixtec civilization. I’ll draw on images from several codices, archeological evidence, ethnohistoric records, and my ethnographic fieldwork to interpret the role of mushroom ceremony in ancient Mixtec life. The images are well executed and colorful. I’ll discuss Mesoamerican strategies of visual communication and principles of ceremonial practice. Please note: blood sacrifice is fundamental to ancient Mexican ceremonialism. I will present a few painted images of blood sacrifice which could be experienced as disturbing.

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 →

Friday August 14, 2026 12:45pm - 1:45pm MDT
Sheridan Opera House

Passholder Event (included in Festival Pass), General Mycology

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46th Telluride Mushroom Festival

Bret Blosser Ph.D.

Attendees (25)

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46th Telluride Mushroom Festival

Bret Blosser Ph.D.

Attendees (25)

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