Abstract
Vilca (Anadenanthera colubrina)
is a small leguminous tree occurring as a species component of the dry
tropical forest of the Urubamba and other Andean valleys. The powerful
psychotropic properties of its seeds account for the long and important
place of this plant in Andean culture history. Archaeological evidence
from painted pots, snuff tubes, bone pipes and clyster tubes indicate
its diverse modes of past use. Wari and Inca artifacts, as well as the
reconstruction of Inca history from early colonial documents, suggest
the role of vilca in shamanic-style religion and medicine. When
understood that the tryptomines in vilca trigger a characteristic
three-stage hallucinogenic experience, new interpretations emerge of
several aspects of the Andean past. Vilca uses can be implicated as a
feature of oracle shrines at pre-Columbian religious sites as well as
the behavior of the Chanka people, enemies of the Incas. After the
Conquest, vilca was the substance behind the drug-induced manifestations
of the so-called Taqui Onccoy movement. Strong Spanish opposition to
vilca which was viewed as a diabolical intervention of Satan, had much
to do with the competition it was perceived to pose to Catholic
conversion.
