To be Quechua: the symbolism of coca chewing in highland Peru

Abstract

Coca chewing plays a crucial role in maintaining basic cultural principles in the minds of individuals living in a Quechua‐speaking community in southern Peru (Province of Paucartambo, Department of Cuzco). This paper explores the ceremonial uses of the coca leaf, focusing particularly on the etiquette for hallpay (coca chewing) during the daily routine. The hallpay ceremony involves reciprocal sharing of coca leaves among two or more individuals, accompanied by prescribed phrases of invitation and thanks, and by invocation to three classes of spiritual beings. The rules for performing the ceremony express the fundamental Quechua concept of ayllu, which is community rooted in a sense of common origin in, and orientation toward, certain sacred places. Ceremonial uses of coca involve standardized forms of behavior, the observance of which orients the actors spatially, socially, and religiously, and in so doing integrates them into a larger cultural framework. (ayllu, coca leaf, symbolic interaction, Quechua culture, ritual)