Aromatherapy in the Ancient South Americas: Sacred Plants, Mountain Spirits & the Magick of Smoke

We journey onwards to the South Americas, leaving behind the temples of India and stepping into a land shaped by mountains, sky and raw elemental power. This is a place where nature ruled, where people lived in deep relationship with the land, and where offerings were made to honour the sun gods who sustained life.

Here, in the highlands and valleys, ancient cultures such as the Aztecs and Incas developed rich spiritual traditions rooted in agriculture, ritual and the sacred use of plants. Their world was alive with gods and goddesses — over a hundred divine beings governing every aspect of nature and human life.
– Learn more about the Incan Journey through the Munay-Ki Trainings

Among their most treasured plant allies were Sage, Avocado, and Copal – each carrying its own magick, medicine and spiritual purpose.

Sacred Plants of the Aztecs and Incas

The Aztec people cultivated a wide range of plants for food, healing, ritual and divination. Two of their most important crops were:

Diviner’s Sage, used for cleansing, prophecy and spiritual insight
Avocado, eaten as an offering to the gods and used for beauty, healing and sensuality

They also tended the Copal tree, whose resin was burned as incense atop their pyramids during ceremonies and sacrifices — a sacred smoke believed to nourish the gods.

Sage (Salvia divinorum)

Folk Names: Ska Maria, Sawge, Diviner’s Sage, Mountain Sage, White Sage
Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Magickal Element: Air
Aromatic Element: Air

Sage has long been revered as a plant of purification, wisdom and spiritual clarity. For the Aztecs, it was essential to ritual life.

Magickal Effects

Divination • Healing • Immortality • Longevity • Wisdom • Protection • Memory • Conscious Mind

Ancient & Modern Uses

Burned to cleanse and purify ritual spaces
Used to enhance memory, focus and visualisation
Planted (by someone else) to bring luck and prosperity
Burned to clear a sacred path to ritual sites
Used for protection during ceremonies and divination

Sage remains one of the most widely used plants for energetic cleansing today.

Avocado (Persea americana)

Folk Names: Alligator Pear, Ahuacolt (“Testicle Tree”), Persea, Zaboca
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Magickal Element: Water
Aromatic Element: Water

Avocado was sacred to the Aztecs — a fruit of sensuality, beauty and nourishment.

Magickal Effects

Protection • Beauty • Love • Lust

Ancient & Modern Uses

Eaten to induce lust and honour the gods
Used to protect the skin from harsh winds
Applied to the hair to promote growth and vitality
Growing a plant from the pit brings love, beauty and peace into the home
The wood used to craft ritual wands
Carrying the pit enhances self‑beauty and confidence

Avocado remains a symbol of nourishment, sensuality and feminine energy.

Copal (Bursera odorata)

Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Magickal Element: Fire
Aromatic Element: Fire

Copal is one of the most sacred resins of Mesoamerica — a powerful purifier and spiritual offering.

Magickal Effects

Purification • Love

Ancient & Modern Uses

Burned atop Aztec pyramids to purify ritual sites
Considered the food of the gods, offered alongside maize
Used today in love spells, skrying and divination
The smoke is gazed into to see visions of the future
Resin burned to cleanse and bless sacred spaces

Copal carries the fire of the sun — a bridge between the earthly and the divine.

The Spirit of the South Americas

This land of mountains, condors and ancient pyramids holds a deep reverence for the natural world. Plants were not merely tools – they were teachers, protectors and divine messengers.

Through Sage, Avocado and Copal, we glimpse the heart of Aztec spirituality:

honouring the gods
living in balance with nature
using scent and smoke to communicate with the unseen
weaving magick into daily life

As our global aromatherapy journey continues, the South Americas remind us that every plant carries a story, a spirit and a sacred purpose.

If you missed it click here for the previous chapter in my aromatherapy series