El yajé, el purgatorio y la farándula

The consumption of Ayahuasca, known locally as Yaje, has grown among urban middle-class Colombians in Bogotá, including students, professionals, and artists, partly due to promotion by musicians and media figures. This essay describes the rise of this practice and explains why it is used ritually under the guidance of Putumayo Indian shamans, or taitas, in a city setting.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In recent years, urban consumption of the Indian vine Ayahuasca or Yaje has become quite popular in Colombia amongst a population of urban middleclass people –college students, professional, houseviwes, clerical, whitecollar people, artists, and people of the cultural establishment–. To a great extent, the rise of urban yaje, quite visible in the media, magazines and periodicals for the general public, is the work of prominent musicians and TV people. This essay intends to give an account of the process, and to explain the reasons behind its “ritual” use in a city such as Bogota, under the supervision of Putumayo Indian shamans or “taitas”.