Mesa
The ritual altar of northern Peruvian folk healing, around which San Pedro ceremonies are held.
At the heart of folk healing (curanderismo) in the coastal and highland regions of northern Peru are ceremonies held around a ritual altar called the “mesa”. They often take place near sacred hills or lagoons and aim mainly to remove the negative forces that cause illness [1].
The plant of the ceremony is the San Pedro cactus cactus. It is used as a guide to seeing and diagnosing illness. The patient is prepared over weeks or even months, and the brew made from the cactus is prepared by the master healer, the “maestro curandero”, or an assistant [1].
By a decision announced in the official gazette El Peruano on 17 November 2022, Peru’s Ministry of Culture declared the traditional knowledge, practices and uses of the San Pedro cactus part of the Cultural Heritage of the Nation. The application came from La Libertad and was prepared with the culture offices of Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Amazonas and Áncash. The decision states that the tradition has pre-Hispanic roots, later joined by Christian elements, and reflects a holistic worldview [1].
The plant’s name shows this blending too: the Spanish named the cactus after Saint Peter, who holds the keys of heaven. San Pedro is a potent plant used within its own tradition under a master’s guidance; it appears here as a cultural record.