“Coca leaf chewing is a highly valued ancient practice used to acknowledge and maintain social bonding among prehispanic and contemporary Amazonian and Andean populations.”
Biography
Constantino Manuel Torres is Professor Emeritus, Art and Art History Department, at Florida International University in Miami. He has conducted research on ancient cultures of the South Central Andes since 1982. His work has concentrated on the San Pedro de Atacama oasis, Chile, and the use of Anadenanthera-based snuffs. His books include Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America (2006), co-authored with David Repke, a comprehensive and detailed study of this plant in continuous use for the past 4000 years. He has published numerous peer reviewed articles and book chapters. Torres organized several symposia on the art and archaeology of the Andes for the International Congress of Americanists and for the Society for American Archaeology. He has been the recipient of three Fulbright Fellowships.
“Our mother’s fragrance” Coca chewing as a vehicle for revelation.
“The leaves are used as a stimulant, as an anesthetic, to suppress appetite, fatigue, and altitude effects and imbibed as a tea to combat many illnesses.”
Transcript Abstract
Coca leaf chewing is a highly valued ancient practice used to acknowledge and maintain social bonding among prehispanic and contemporary Amazonian and Andean populations. The leaves are used as a stimulant, as an anesthetic, to suppress appetite, fatigue, and altitude effects and imbibed as a tea to combat many illnesses. It plays an important part in their nutrition. Coca is higher in calories, carbohydrates, and protein than the average of fifty other vegetable products commonly consumed in Latin America.