How did the use of magic mushroom/truffles start?

Psychedelic mushrooms have been used by mankind for thousands of years. Several references to psychedelic mushrooms can be found in Central America. Excavations in Mexico and Guatemala have found hundreds of figurines in the shape of magic mushrooms that are thousands of years old. In the sixteenth century, the Spaniards conquered Mexico and banned the devilish use of magic mushrooms. The Mexican mushroom cult was only really discovered in 1955, when the first white person was allowed to participate in a nightly mushroom ritual.

In 1976 a guide was published in the United States describing how to grow magic mushrooms. The book became a great success. In 1993, the first smartshop in the Netherlands opened its doors in Amsterdam from where magic mushrooms were sold. After that, the smart shops literally sprang up like mushrooms. There are currently dozens of smart shops in the Netherlands and every city has at least one.