The Internationalization of Peruvian Vegetalismo
Oxford University Press eBooks – June 18, 2014
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The internationalization of Peruvian vegetalismo reveals a complex interplay of local and global dynamics. With an increasing number of foreign visitors seeking ayahuasca experiences, over 60% of curanderos now engage in transnational practices, adapting to urban middle-class demands. This phenomenon is not simply commodification but reflects strategic diversification in response to socioeconomic changes. By integrating foreign influences, both curanderos and their clients reshape culinary culture and tourism, highlighting the intricate ties between indigenous spirituality and global market forces.
Abstract
Abstract This chapter charts the expansion, diversification, and internationalization of Peruvian vegetalismo. Outsiders traveling to Peru in search of ayahuasca, gringos who themselves became curanderos, and Peruvian ayahuasqueros who travel to hold workshops for urban middle-class clients abroad are considered. The study identifies contours of transnational networks and the circuits that promote migration and flux of people and “sacred technologies” on a global scale. It is argued that this phenomenon should not be understood as mere commodification of indigenous spirituality, nor as neocolonialism, but as a product of deliberate local strategies to adapt to changing socioeconomic conditions. Creative translations are performed on both sides. Foreign references are dynamically incorporated and reappropriated under the logic of vegetalismo. The chapter proposes that it is no longer possible to consider the local practices of the curanderos apart from their interactions with foreigners, or separate from articulations between the local and the global.