Do magic mushrooms grow in South America and are they sold in shakes or by themselves in bars (or even sold full stop by dealers) like they do in SOuth East Asia?
Yes, they have been used by ancient South American civilizations for longer than recorded history (estimates are at 10,000+ years). The main species is
Psilocybe cubensis, it was actually introduced to northern Australia by the importation of cows from Mexico in the first half of last century.
Mushroom ceremonies are still common place in some parts of South America, I'm not sure if they are sold in shakes like they are in parts of SE Asia but, I'm certain that you can either find them yourself during the wet and humid rainy season or ask a local to hook you up.
South America is the home of naturally occurring DMT producing plants, psilocybe mushrooms, mescaline producing cacti and the tropane alkaloid producing plants datura/brugmansia (deliriant hallucinogens) just to name a few...
The South Americans were some of, if not the first people to use these substances. Only the Siberian shamans that used Amanita and datura (plus a few other substances) thousands of years ago would even scratch the surface when it comes to the use of psychoactive drugs in our far away history.
I believe that some Australian aboriginal tribes must have used psychoactives such as
Psilocybe subaeruginosa, it's such a prolific species in southern Australia that has been here many thousands of years and I doubt that one or more tribes would not have used it to some extent. When you kill most of a race while invading their land, you lose a lot of information in regards to these rituals. Tasmania is the only place on earth where a genocide has been completed after all.
End of rant.
Let's stick to the Australian mushroom season guys...