Background:

Currently, the chinantec Mexican ethnic group has received little ethnomycological attention, despite the precise and profuse traditional knowledge that it has related to its fungal resource.

Objective:

To document the traditional knowledge related to the use and importance of wild mushrooms by the chinantec people.

Methodology:

During May to October 2018, visits to seven chinantec communities were conducted. Through unstructured, semi-structured and structured surveys, 10 % of the population of each of these communities were interviewed. In addition, field work was carried out with local experts where sporomes were collected.

Results and conclusions:

Thirty-six species used by the chinantec people were registered, of which 31 are consumed and prepared in eight different ways; three are used in traditional medicine, and two are used with ludic purposes. In addition, 27 names were reported in chinantec language, which in all cases have the root “Níẗ” or “Naẗ” that means fungus, followed by two or three adjectives that refer to elements of the chinantec worldview. The present work analyses the biocultural importance of wild mushrooms in the millennian chinantec group.

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