Document Type

Honors Thesis

Semester of Graduation

Spring 2026

Abstract

This thesis offers a literature review that traces the origins and variations in the use of tobacco (Nicotiana sp.), coca (Erythroxylum coca spp.), and ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi) in the Andean highlands and Amazon region along the western coast of South America. This mountainous region stretches across seven countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Diverse South American Indigenous groups and ancient civilizations, such as the Inca Empire, have inhabited this area. This review delves into key concepts of Andean cosmology, especially those related to ecology and hydrology as interpreted through Inca beliefs. These concepts are pivotal in the application of plant medicine within the region. Additionally, the review explores the role of psychotropic plants in rituals and ceremonies led by Andean shamans and master healers from Indigenous communities. Drawing on archaeological records, botanical and chemical analyses, and ethnohistorical data, the review further investigates variations in Indigenous consumption of tobacco, coca, and ayahuasca, as well as the cultural practices, medicinal uses, and materials associated with these plants. Finally, the paper examines the threats that contemporary rural and Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Andes face due to overexploitation and the criminalization of psychotropic plants in their homes. This analysis links the modern cultivation of psychopharmaceuticals to the extended history of Amerindian settlement and horticultural practices. By synthesizing archaeological and botanical findings and examining the relationships that Andean societies have developed over time with psychoactive substances, the thesis illuminates the deep-rooted history of psychotropic plant use and human-environmental interactions in the Andes.

Awardee Name

Jalayne Allison

Academic Major

Anthropology

Project Mentor

David Chicoine

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