Ari’s Burger: Vignettes of Iquitos (Part 3)

In the final installment of a three-part narrative, the Colombian narrator, who has been consuming yajé (ayahuasca) with indigenous shamans for a book project, travels to Iquitos at the turn of the millennium. His host, an American expatriate named Zappa who exports shamanic plants and leads ceremonies, attempts to commercialize a traditional plant remedy for diabetes, inadvertently becoming entangled in international drug war intrigue. After several unsatisfying rituals with unqualified or unethical healers, the narrator finally participates in a ceremony led by a skilled and ethical shaman.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This is the final episode of a three-part story about a visit to Iquitos at the time of the new millennium by the narrator, who lives in Colombia and has been drinking yajé (ayahuasca) with its indigenous shamans. For a book he is writing about the subject, decides to investigate its uses in Iquitos, where his host and guide to the rituals there is “Zappa”, an American expatriate who exports shamanic plants and runs ayahuasca ceremonies. Zappa is now trying to exploit a traditional plant remedy for diabetes and is unwittingly caught up in an international intrigue to do with the U.S. war against drugs. This episode starts when, after several disappointing ceremonies with unqualified or ill-intentioned healers, the narrator drinks ayahuasca with a skilled and ethical shaman.