Ceremonial Mayan Tobacco

8360 - Ceremonial Mayan tobacco. ( Nicotiana rustica ) 
Maya tobacco was grown for many uses. It was smoked for pleasure, and when powdered and mixed with lime it was chewed, it served a function similar to snuff. It was used as an all-purpose remedy for a wide range of maladies; a tobacco gourd was worn as a badge of office by female practitioners of medicine and by midwives. Tobacco was burned as an offering to the gods. It was believed to have magical powers and was used in divination, to induce trances, or as a talisman to ward off evil.