Chavín: How Do We Understand Thee? An Inquiry into the Jaguar and the San Pedro Cactus

Summary

The essay examines the archaeological insights into Chavín de Huántar from 900 BC to AD 0, emphasizing that without Inca civilization concepts like huaca and ayllu, understanding Chavín would be difficult. It discusses five main issues, including whether Chavín served as an oracle, the relationship between its monumental architecture and religion, the nature of religious authority in the Andes, and how to interpret its art and iconography beyond Inca cosmology.

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Abstract

This essay surveys the archeological understanding of Chavín de Huántar (900 BC-AD 0) conducting an inquiry into the means of intelligibility offered by archeology and finding that without the deployment of Inca civilization categories of huaca, ayllu, tinku, and others, Chavín would remain shrouded in darkness. Here, I delve into the problematic question of the consumption of the mescaline cactus San Pedro with regard to the art and meaning of Chavín. This article brings up five key problems pertaining to our understanding of Chavín. First, was Chavín a huaca/oracle? What is the link between monumental architecture and "religion?" How is religious authority acquired and deployed in the Andes? How do we interpret Chavín's art and architecture without deploying Inca cosmology? Of what does Chavín's iconography speak?

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