Chavín: How Do We Understand Thee? An Inquiry into the Jaguar and the San Pedro Cactus
Revista de estudios hispánicos January 1, 2021 Sara Castro‐klarén 1 citation
Understanding the early Andean ceremonial center of Chavín de Huántar (900 BC–AD 0) requires applying Inca categories such as huaca (sacred being or place), ayllu (kin group), and tinku (ritual encounter); without them, the site remains unintelligible. The essay examines five key problems: whether Chavín was a huaca or oracle, the link between its monumental architecture and religion, how religious authority was acquired in the Andes, how to interpret Chavín's art and architecture without relying on Inca cosmology, and what its iconography—including depictions of the San Pedro cactus—communicates. The consumption of the mescaline cactus San Pedro is explored as central to understanding the art and meaning of Chavín.