What You Should Know Before Eating Magic Mushrooms in Mexico
San José del Pacifico in the State of Oaxaca is frequented by thousands of backpackers every year, who want to experience a psychedelic mushroom trip. However, there are a few things that you should keep in mind before delving into the hallucinogenic depths of the subconscious in the mountains of Mexico. I have made the trip on my own and in this guide I like to share with you a few tips about how to find the right shrooms, and how to take them safely.
Disclaimer: This article is for harm reduction and educational purposes. I am not encouraging anyone to take drugs. There are several risks and dangers involved in ingesting psychedelics, especially if people do it uncontrolled, recklessly and uninformed. The effects of psilocybin mushrooms are not to be underestimated and are not suitable for anyone. Anyone who wants to work with a powerful substance like this, should educate themselves beforehand about the specific substance, dose, set, and setting.
Getting in and around San José del Pacifico
San José is neither hard to find, nor hard to get around.
The small village of San José del Pacifico is located between Oaxaca, the capital of the state with the same name, and the tourist beach towns of the Pacific coast, like Puerto Escondido and Pochutla. If you are travelling through Oaxaca, you will have no issue getting there. There are almost hourly bus connections between these places. Just show up at the right bus terminal, buy a ticket (less than 200 pesos — 10 €/$ at the time of writing) and hop in. I went with the often recommended company Líneas Unidas and had no issues. Their bus stop is just south of the city centre of Oaxaca and found on Google Maps. The ride is about 3–4 hours from Oaxaca. I have heard people calling these transports „vomit buses” but I thought the route from Oaxaca to San José del Pacifico was really not too bad.
Bring Cash! There are no ATMs in San José del Pacifico and credit cards are mostly not accepted — if they are, they will charge an extra fee.
The village centre itself is small and walkable but some of the better hostels and guesthouses are a few hundred metres up the hilly road. You might have to take one of the moto-taxis to get to your accommodation. They are only 20–40 pesos (1–2 €/$) per ride. I took one to my hostel the first time I arrived with my luggage, but for the remainder of my stay I walked this part and enjoyed the views of the green mountain range.
What to Watch Out for When Buying Magic Mushrooms in San José Del Pacifico
Practically every one of the locals will offer you magic mushrooms or recommend someone if you ask them. No need to act clandestine here, there are no legal issues and everybody knows why you are there.
However, the quality of the mushrooms varies, so you should be cautious about who you are dealing with. I have heard from several people who bought mushrooms, which did not have any or very little effect. While you might opt for a trip of medium strength, you certainly do not want to feel ripped off or be disappointed in the experience.
Availability and Prices Vary Depending on The Season
Mushroom season in San José del Pacifico is from July to October. This is when the most rain is coming down and the fruiting bodies of the mushrooms pop up their heads out of the earth. Outside of this season, you might not get any fresh shrooms. However, I was lucky and got offered some fresh ones, just picked from the forest. The price was pretty high — for a handful of Derrumbe mushrooms, I paid 1.200 pesos (about 60 €/$). When negotiating, please be reminded that these powerful gifts of nature are practically the only income for the people living here.
Fresh, Dried, Tea, or Honey?
I came to San José in November and was told that there are only dry mushrooms available, which are, according to some backpackers, pretty low in strength. While the active components psilocin and psilocybin can be preserved when drying the fruit bodies, there are some reasons, why you should prefer fresh ones.
- You don’t know at which temperatures and under which conditions they were dried. If it is too hot, then the active components might have deteriorated.
- You don’t know how long they were stored. While it is not likely that vendors are sitting on their shrooms for years, there is still the possibility of them going bad or losing potency.
- It is almost impossible to tell which species the dried ones are.
- You can and should inspect the fresh mushrooms for mold and rotten smell, before buying.
Psilocybin mushrooms can be preserved by drying and/or putting them in honey. Also, mushroom tea is offered at many places. If it is done properly, tea infusions can be a very recommendable way to consume magic mushrooms — however, you should always ask what intensity you should expect from the concoction you are being offered.
Know your species
There are hundreds of species of psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Before you gobble them down, you should at least know what kind you are dealing with.
The magic mushrooms here grow out of the mountain earth that has been moved by landslides after the rain. The local name for the kinds of mushrooms is therefore „derrumbe”, which translates to „landslide”. However, there are at least three species that fall under this umbrella term:
I have been also offered Psilocybe cubensis, which is one of the most popular magic mushroom species. However, they had been cultivated artificially. For me, they were uninteresting. So, if you are offered dried mushrooms, you might get cubensis, which are not native and are pretty much the same homegrown as you would get anywhere else in the world.
Ask Questions!
I saw tourists going to shops, asking for magic mushrooms like they are bananas and leaving with a baggie with dubious contents, without asking a single question. This is what I would call reckless behaviour. If you are not sure what you are taking, you are playing with your well-being!
On my first day in San José, I had no idea about where to get the goods and I did not know anybody. I asked some of the tourists and backpackers there, and everybody had a different vendor they went to. Some recommended a café somewhat outside the centre, and some recommended their hostel reception. More than a few told me that they did not really notice much of the effects and felt a little duped.
So just to check things out, I went into one of the souvenir shops right on the main road and asked for „hongos” (the Spanish word for mushrooms). The señora there showed me a very small bag with some dry crumbs in it. I asked her what kind of mushrooms they are, which she answered with „hongos halluciongenicos” — hallucinogenic mushrooms, aha. This information seemed somewhat vague to me and I declined thankfully. I’m pretty sure, I would not have a transformative experience from those.
After a few other unsuccessful attempts, following some vague tips from fellow travellers, I entered a shop that was connected to a hostel, cozy, and lovingly decorated. On the table in front of the smiling shopkeeper over a dozen freshly picked mushrooms were spread out, moist and still covered with earth. She knew that they were called derrumbe, the Psilocybe caerulescens kind, and compiled a batch of five finger-long mushrooms for me. After me asking how to take them, she recommended me to treat this holy medicine with respect. Her tip was to meditate with them, before consumption. Her name was Rubí and I can only recommend seeking her out.
The Right Dosage of Magic Mushrooms — Only One Way of Finding Out?
I also asked the shopkeeper about the potency — which is a difficult question to answer because the effects can vary pretty much from person to person and from mushroom to mushroom. She told me, the batch in front of me would be about as strong as 3 grams of dried cubensis. This I could work with. A dose strong enough to give me a few hours of visual hallucinations and a deep psychological trip but not so strong that I would fall backwards out of this reality.
Your Mindset
Chances are, that depending on your previous psychedelic experiences, you might feel anxious and agitated before dropping hallucinogenic mushrooms in Mexico. This is totally normal and should pass when the trip is coming along. However, if you genuinely feel not comfortable, extraordinarily anxious, it might be better to step back. It is also likely that you only have one or two days to choose your trip, feeling compelled to do them right now. It is also a bad idea to take them if people, who you do not fully know or trust, try to talk you into it.
Psilocybin mushrooms are not rare and if you miss out this time because you are uncomfortable, they will be waiting for you on another occasion.
Choosing the Right Setting
Shrooms can make you feel connected to nature. But should you chew them down and go for a hike in an entirely unknown environment? I wouldn’t recommend it. While a low to medium dosed trip in the middle of a mountainous forest setting might sound pretty magical in theory, it can become a pretty harrowing experience if you get lost or if it turns out, that the dose is stronger than expected.
María Sabina, the legendary shaman from Huautla de Jimenez, only did her veladas, her mushroom rituals, at night. For me, this makes a lot of sense because most of the visual effects of the mushrooms are only really spectacular in total darkness or behind closed eyes. While it is in my opinion not necessary to wait until after dark, you should definitely have a retreat option nearby where you can lay down on a mattress and under some blankets. Put on some music — or if it is quiet enough, enjoy the nature sounds — and close your eyes.
While I am more of a solo-tripper, most travellers will seek the safety of a group or of a local facilitator, shaman, or curandera. Only do it with other people you know and trust. Before going into it, check with the others how they are feeling and if they have experience with psychedelics or not. Have someone experienced nearby who stays sober. Have your place of retreat ready so you can be on your own if you feel like it.
During or shortly after the mushrooom trip you might feel the urge to connect with friends and family. While this is generally a great idea, I would advise to wait to after the effects have worn off before you call your parents ;)
Preparation List
- A playlist with calm, ambient music and some of your favourite feel-good-tunes
- Drinking water and some juice or lemonade
- Earplugs or Earbuds and a sleeping mask
- Food for after the trip (I brought some quesadillas from one of the restaurants and some snacks before retreating to my cabana. Mind that shops close early in San José del Pacifico)
- If you are overwhelmed by the effects, stay calm and go with it. Your meditation practice is your best tool.
No Gos — Do not do it if you are:
- on antidepressants and other medications — check with your health practitioner first!
- suffering psychological disorders like clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder…
- mixing psilocybin mushrooms with other drugs
- feeling pressured by others
A psychedelic mushroom trip can be truly magical. That doesn’t mean it will only elicit positive feelings, laughter and bliss. Be aware, that anxiety, heavy thoughts and emotional outbreaks are also part of this.
Have a great trip!
If you made it this far down with my article, leave a few claps below and consider following me! Let me know in the comments about your experience in San José del Pacifico!
