2018 – Sacred Plants in the Americas International Congress
In February 2018, more than 1,500 people gathered in the small town of Ajijic for the largest ever conference on psychoactive substances in Mexico. It attracted researchers, therapists, activists, and many members of various indigenous communities.
Ethnohistorian Aldo Contro reflected on the event: “For three days, representatives of the Wixarika, Shipibos, Mazatecos, Rarámuris, Inga, Camentsa, Nahua, Huni Kuin, Kogi, O’dam, as well as specialists and interested participants, shared their knowledge and opinions within the conference.”
The conference covered a diversity of themes about psychoactive substances in the Americas, including from perspectives of shamanism, anthropology, drug policy, psychology and history. The event was made possible through a joint effort by CIESES (Center for Research and Post Graduate Studies in Social Anthropology), Politics and Culture Collective, and Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines. Many of the talks and discussions are available online to view at the Chacruna YouTube channel.
References
Contro, Aldo 2018. Sacred Plants in the Americas Congress: A Multicolor Experience. Drugos, Politica, y Cultura.
Chacruna YouTube channel
