Shamanism and San Pedro through Time: Some Notes on the Archaeology, History, and Continued Use of an Entheogen in Northern Peru
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2010 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-3537.2010.01021.x via OpenAlex
Summary
The San Pedro cactus has been used in northern Peru for over 2000 years as a means for shamanic healers to access the Divine and diagnose ailments. This paper presents archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence linking the cactus to ancestor worship, water and fertility cults, and wind-spirits. It argues against the contemporary view of the cactus as merely a recreational drug, emphasizing its deep cultural and spiritual significance.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | The use of the San Pedro cactus as a tool for healing and accessing spiritual realms has a time-depth of more than 2000 years. |
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Abstract
ABSTRACT This paper discusses archaeological, historical, and contemporary ethnographic evidence for the use of the San Pedro cactus in northern Peru as a vehicle for traveling between worlds and for imparting the “vista” (magical sight) necessary for shamanic healers to divine the cause of their patients' ailments. Using iconographic, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence for the uninterrupted use of this sacred plant as a means of access to the Divine and as a tool for healing, it describes the relationship between San Pedro, ancestor worship, water/fertility cults and also the common symbolic associations between San Pedro and wind‐spirits. It closes by suggesting that the more than 2000 year time‐depth of using this plant as a means for accessing the realms of Spirit and as a tool for healing should serve to challenge the unfortunate tendency in the contemporary United States to consider this plant as a “recreational drug.”