Diana Negrin: Peyote Dreams, From Collective Ritual to Personal Treatment?

Peyote serves as a critical focal point for exploring the intersection of indigenous tradition and contemporary therapeutic use. The plant is central to the culture and territorial identity of the Wixarika people, whose sacred sites in the Chihuahuan desert remain under threat from industrial exploitation, including mining and intensive agriculture. Protecting these habitats is essential to preserving the cultural and ecological heritage connected to the plant through generations. Non-indigenous interest in peyote is growing for various psychotherapeutic purposes, necessitating a careful approach to access and sustainability. Tensions often emerge between collective, ritualistic uses of the plant and decentralized, individualistic consumption. Addressing these requires a deeper understanding of the diverse stakeholders and the ecological consequences of over-harvesting, moving beyond binary narratives to consider how varying definitions of use and value can coexist without marginalizing indigenous knowledge and rights.