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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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Ancient wizardry
Bearing in mind the country's poverty and the fact that
almost half the population is still pure Amerindian, it isn't altogether
surprising to discover that the ancient shamanic healing arts are still
flourishing in Peru. Evidence for this type of magical health therapy stretches
back over three thousand years on the Peruvian coast. Today, curanderos (Spanish
for "curers") can be found in every large community, practising healing based on
knowledge which has been passed down from master to apprentice over millennia.
Curanderos offer an alternative to the expensive, sporadic and often unreliable
service provided by scientific medics in a developing country like Peru. But as
well as being a cheaper, more widely available option, curanderismo is also
closer to the hearts and understanding of the average Peruvian.
With the resurgence of herbalism, aromatherapy, exotic healing massages and
other aspects of New Age "holistic" health, it should be easier for us in the
West to understand curanderismo than it might have been a decade or so ago.
Combine "holistic" health with psychotherapy, and add an underlying cultural
vision of spiritual and magical influences, and you are some way toward getting
a clearer picture of how healing wizards operate.
There are two other important characteristics of modern-day Peruvian
curanderismo. Firstly, the last four hundred years of Spanish domination have
added a veneer of Catholic imagery and nomenclature. Demons have become saints,
ancient mountain spirits and their associated annual festivals continue
disguised as Christian ceremonies. Equally important for any real understanding
of Peruvian shamanism is the fact that most, if not all, curanderos use
hallucinogens. The tribal peoples in the Peruvian Amazon who have managed, to a
large extent, to hang on to their culture in the face of the oncoming industrial
civilization, have also maintained their spiritual traditions. In almost every
Peruvian tribe these traditions include the regular use of hallucinogenic brews
to give a visionary ecstatic experience. Sometimes just the shaman partakes, but
more often the shaman and his patients, or entire communities, will indulge
together, singing traditional spirit-songs which help control the visions. The
hallucinogenic experience, like the world of dreams, is the Peruvian forest
Indian's way of getting in touch with the ancestral world or the world of spirit
matter.
The origins of shamanism
The history of healing wizards in Peru matches that of the ritual use of
hallucinogens and appears to have emerged alongside the first major
temple-building culture - Chavín (1200 BC-200 AD). Agriculture, ceramics and
other technical processes...
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Shamanism today
Still commonly used by curanderos on the coast and in the mountains of Peru, the
San Pedro cactus ( Trichocereus panchanoi) is a potent hallucinogen based on
active mescaline. The curandero administers the hallucinogenic...
read more >>
Machu Picchu Peru
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Published articles and reviews about us
2009
Testimonials
Ajay
Parikh
Date:
Thu,16 Jul 2009
Hello all the folks at Peru Gateway Travel,
We had a fantastic time in Peru. We thank you all for making
our trip a success.
The only concern is that the accommodation in Cusco was below
average and we would not recommend the Emparada Plaza (?) to
anyone. Even though the staff was good, the room/bathroom,
breakfast was very bad.
Once again, thanks a lot for making our trip to your country a
memorable one. All the guides, especially Guillarmo in Lima
and Erica in Cusco, were excellent.
Kazuaki Kubo
Date:
Thu,16 Jul 2009
I want to thank
you and all of the staff of Peru Gateway Travel for the perfect
arrangement of my trip in June.
Everything was so fantastic and I was made to think about another
trip to Peru.
Sincerely, Denise Pratico
Date:
Mon, 6 Jul 2009
I am writing to let you know that we
enjoyed Peru very much. The city tour led by Marco was fantastic. We
will be happy to recommend your agency to other Americans
Jane
Date:
Mon, 6 Jul 2009
We have
completed our trip to Peru and are now back in New York City.
I want to thank you for all the arrangements you made. The
trip was wonderful and all our accommodations excellent. Thank
you for making our trip a success.
Best regards, Marcy
Date:
Mon, 6 Jul 2009
We arrived home at 4 o'clock in the
morning, very tired (we had a long lay-over in Amsterdam) but very
very happy. I am so pleased to tell you that our Peru vacation that
you planned for us was excellent! Everything was just as the
itinerary said it would be. We were very pleased with the hotels,
and the transfer people and guides were always there and everybody
was so nice and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about your very
exciting country and its history, particularly about the Quechua
culture. We will always remember the Inti Raymi festival in Cusco. I
am so glad we were able to see that. Of course Machu Picchu was also
a great highlight. And, Michael and I also very much liked Arequipa.
We didn't know much about that city, but we had a very great time
there on our free day and visited the cathedral, spent a lot of time
going through the Santa Catalina monastario and, of course, went to
the museum to see "Juanita". Beautiful architecture there too.
Really, every day was wonderful, and we would like to thank you so
much for all your efforts. Also please extend our thanks to Maria
Carmen who was so helpful on the phone and to Julia, who came to the
hotel our first night to explain many things to us and give us all
our tickets and vouchers. And perhaps you also had something to do
with our last night in Lima at the Libertador. We got a suite -- a
very big beautiful room! Thank you so much.
We wish you and your family all the best, and for sure we will be
recommending Peru Gateway Travel to our friends.
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