The relationship between power and identity can be defined through shared social constructs requiring a shared ideology. Thus, authority structures and political dominance are based not only on rituals but also on some form of agreement and exchange. Examples are recurring in times and geographies: from the Maya and Aztecs to the modern Asian Nations.
The fermented, roasted, and ground beans of the Theobroma cacao have been consumed by pre-Olmec people since 1900 BC; later, the Aztecs and the Maya used the beans as a currency and a valued beverage. Indeed, the drink called Xocoatll was employed in religious rituals because of its special aphrodisiac and strength properties.
Ancient evidence of Mayan use of tobacco had been found in Campeche (Mexico). Archeologists established that Mayan elites used Nicotiana Rustica (kutz) to achieve different levels of consciousness during their rituals.
At the time Christopher Columbus reached the coast of San Salvador, the major cultures and civilizations in central America were the Olmec, the Maya, and the Aztec whereas in South America the Moche, the Wari, the Tiwanaku, the Chimor, and the Inca.