"Hey amigo! do you want to go on a trip? do you want mushrooms?"

Date

2017-03-01

Advisors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

ISSN

2045-5852
2045-5860

Volume Title

Publisher

Intellect Journals

Type

Article

Peer reviewed

Yes

Abstract

The Mazatec people from the northern highlands of the Mexican State of Oaxaca are known for the syncretism of their religion, which combines pre-Hispanic culture and Catholic religion introduced with Spanish colonization in the sixteenth century. Nowadays, Mazatec religious practices are characterized by ritual ceremonies revolving around the religious spirit of the people and their cosmology. They are known for using mushrooms and other hallucinogenic plants to connect them with the world of their gods. The sacredness of these mushrooms is such a large and complex topic that no attempt at scientific explanation seems to solve all of the magical mysteries of the Mazatec universe. However, my introduction to it began in 2011 when I was carrying out fieldwork among the Mazatec people as part of my Ph.D. studies in architecture. This article is a direct account of an experience I had that seems to go beyond rational parameters; to a place where the spiritual and magical predominate; to a world in which healers and shamans eat sacred mushrooms in order to perform ceremonial rituals to heal people.

Description

The Copyright in the Accepted Contribution remain the Author’s property throughout the term of Intellect Agreement. The Author may distribute or re-publish the Accepted Contribution, but may not use the format and designs of the Accepted Contribution as it appears in the Journal. The Author is not permitted to print, post, or otherwise distribute the Journal’s PDF version of the Accepted Contribution. The Author will notify INTELLECT LTD of their intention to republish any part of the Accepted Contribution. The Author agrees to waive the exercise of these rights until twelve months after the Accepted Contribution has been published in the Journal and the Journal has been distributed, in either print or digital format. Further, the Author will ensure that Issue and Journal are noted in any re-publication as the site of first publication of the Accepted Contribution. The Author retains all moral and proprietary rights that are not in conflict with the terms of this License. This includes ownership of all patent and trademark rights to any process or procedure, or any other form of intellectual property contained in the Accepted Contribution.

Keywords

indigenous studies, vernacular architecture, sociology, anthropology, phenomenology

Citation

Zapata, L. (2017) "Hey amigo! do you want to go on a trip? do you want mushrooms?". The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture, 6 (1), pp. 57-63

Rights

Research Institute