Representations of the san Pedro (Trichocereus spp.) cactus flower and the Anadenanthera colubrina plant in Wari textiles and Tiwanaku art

Representaciones de la flor del cactus san Pedro (Trichocereus spp.) y la planta Anadenanthera colubrina en tejidos wari y el arte Tiwanaku

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56522/BMCHAP.0070010280003

REBECCA R. STONE

Resumen

The san Pedro mescaline-rich cacti (Trichocereus spp.) and Anadenanthera colubrina (vilca in Kichwa) are entheogens (whatever brings one to the divine) prominent in Andean art. I discuss the cactus’s ten-inch-wide crowning flower and many of its motif variants in sixty-four Wari textiles. Artistic renderings correspond closely with the flower’s botanical parts: bud (containing the ovary/ovule/eggs) plus its central tipped vertical (style, stigma) flanked by stalks with tips (filaments, anthers). By revealing the interior components, the flower as it bursts into bloom is evoked. This motif is assigned to parts of the staff-bearer (renamed Transforming Being), including the eyepiece and vocalization and aural emanations. It conveys the multisensory trance experience of the Transforming Being catalyzed by ingesting san Pedro brew. The cactus imagery is consistently paired, even conflated, with vilca leaf and flower motifs, to which is added the jagged tree bark. The pairing of the two sacred plants proclaims specifically highland visionary power and suggests they were ritually consumed simultaneously, even mixed together.

Keywords: Trichocereus pachanoi, entheogen, Wari, Tiwanaku, Anadenanthera colubrina.

Referencias

Altschul, S. 1964. A Taxonomic Study of the Genus Anadenanthera. Gray Herbarium of Harvard University 193: 3-65.

Bernier, H. 2009. Birds of the Andes. The Met, June. <https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bird/hd_bird.htm> [accessed: 03-20-2023].

Brooklyn Museum, n.d. Textile Fragment with Birthing Llamas. <https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/59389> [accessed: 04-14-2023].

Burger, R. 2011. What Kind of Hallucinogenic Snuff was Used at Chavín de Huántar? An Iconographic Identification. Ñawpa Pacha: Journal of Andean Archaeology 31 (2): 123-140.

Cactus Museum. n.d. Cactus Anatomy. <http://www.cactusmuseum.com/anatomy.asp> [accessed: 02-11-2022].

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Imágenes

Figure 4. Transforming Being (supplementary material 1: tunic 51). San Pedro flower motifs (yellow) (same as figures 8d, l, and m); feline mouth and crossed canines (light yellow); Anadenanthera-related imagery (orange) (same as figures 20d and o; 25b, d, and l); vocalization emanation (dark green) (in addition to those in figure 13); condor head (light green); animal head with human mouth, animal nose and ear, and condor ruff (purple); human head, feet, and hand (turquoise); headband (pink); possible cactus sprout from foot (light brown) (fig. 18) (drawing by Bill Meuser, after Conklin [1970: fig. 6]). Figura 4. Ser en Transformación (material suplementario 1: túnica 51). Motivos de flor de san Pedro (amarillo) (igual a las figuras 8d, l y m); boca y caninos entrecruzados de felino (amarillo claro); motivos relacionados con Anadenanthera (naranjo) (igual a las figuras 20d y o; 25b, d y l); emanación de vocalización (verde oscuro) (además de los de la figura 13); cabeza de cóndor (verde claro); cabeza de animal con boca humana, oreja y nariz de animal y gorguera de cóndor (morado); cabeza, pie y mano humana (turquesa); diadema (rosado); posible brote del cactus saliendo desde el pie (café claro) (fig. 18) (dibujo de Bill Meuser, a partir de Conklin [1970: fig. 6]).

Figure 7. T. pachanoi slices and prepared brew. The arrow points to the inner concentric circle that have inspired the Spirit Face (fig. 6, blue) (Eskymaks, Shutterstock Royalty-free). Figura 7. Rebanadas y brebaje preparado de T. pachanoi. La flecha apunta al círculo concéntrico interior que ha inspirado el Rostro de Espíritu (fig. 6, azul) (Eskymaks, Shutterstock, libre de derechos de autor).

Figure 8: a-u) Three-part san Pedro flower motifs with taller central part as more naturalistic stigma/style (fig. 3a); v-x) unusually staggered three-part motifs. Note: in addition to figure 12k (drawings by Bill Meuser). Figura 8: a-u) motivos de tres partes de la flor de san Pedro, con parte central más alta, como una representación más naturalista del estigma (fig. 3a); v-x) motivos de tres partes escalonados en forma inusual. Nota: además de la figura 12k (dibujos de Bill Meuser).

Figure 16. T. pachanoi in bloom (Geneva Photography). Figura 16. T. pachanoi en floración (Fotografía Geneva).

Figure 22. “Paired” seed pods of A. colubrina. Note similarity to figure 20b (Medeiros 2010). Figura 22. Vainas de semillas “pareadas” de A. colubrina. Nótese la similitud con la figura 20b (Medeiros 2010).

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