Servando Z. Hinojosa

Peyote Shrines, Remembrance, and Ritual Surrogacy in South Texas

Journal for the Study of Religion Nature and Culture March 13, 2024 Servando Z. Hinojosa

Peyote shrines in South Texas, created and maintained by licensed dealers who sell peyote to Native American Church members, serve as surrogate ritual sites. These shrines mark an entry portal to the region and offer many Native Americans their only chance to see peyote growing in the ground. They prompt prayers and conversations about 'relations' back home, kindling acts of remembrance between generations and between Native Americans and dealers. Visitors perform actions at the shrines that tie into rituals of thanks, gathering, and healing associated with other places, underscoring the shrines' surrogate ritual importance for those who cannot access other ritual sites. The shrines anchor memories and challenge conventional thinking about agency, extending ritualists' reach into adjacent spaces.