Beyond the San Pedro Cactus: Ancient Nasca Shamanism in Polychrome Ceramics
Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies December 23, 2022 Meghan Tierney
Ancient Nasca ceramics (c. 1–750 CE) from Peru's south coast not only depict entheogens and shaman figures but also visually document the unseen, visionary experiences of shamans leading up to and during trance. Vessel imagery and forms give physical, lasting form to phenomena seen only in the visionary realm, suggesting artists aimed to capture the shaman's journey, methods for achieving visions, and the phenomenology of trance. This analysis indicates a uniquely Nasca shamanism concerned with both the physical and experiential aspects of practice.