Coca and the Mountain
Observations into the Worldview of the Quechua of Panao
by Terry P. Smith
Previous | Next 
The Quechua of Panao
The Andean people with whom my family and I have lived during the past eleven
years are the Quechua of Panao. They are peasant farmers living between the
Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Azul in the Andean districts of the
province of Pachitea, department of Huánuco, in central Peru. The Andean
districts of Panao, Chaqlla, Molinos and Umari, with a rural population of approximately
40,000 represent an identifiable social grouping; they identify themselves as
Panao runakuna, people from Panao, which is the provincial capital. Linguistically
and culturally they differentiate between themselves and the neighboring Quechua
groups.
The nuclear family is the basic social unit within the culture. However, the
primary social group is the extended family. The origin of many communities
can be traced back to these extended family groups traditionally known as ayllu.
The extended family is the primary source of identity, trust, resources, and
labor. As communities of multiple family groups have grown and the ayllu
has become more fragmented, primary group relationships are extended by establishing
social bonds with godparents and co-parents. These relationships also contribute
to one's sense of identity; they are expected to be trustworthy, and reciprocally
they are sources of resources and labor. Quicaña (1995:72) indicates
that identification with the ayllu is based upon kinship, commitment
to communal agrarian goals, and by sharing a common worldview.
A large billboard at the entrance to the town of Chaqlla boasts, "Potato Capital
of Peru." The predominant crop in the region is the potato. Some communities
produce up to 30 metric tons per hectare (l3.4 tons/acre). These potatoes are
grown in both the high mountain valleys and up on the alpine steppes. The high
mountain valleys also produce corn, beans, and squash. During parts of each year
the PNQ farmers also migrate to the high jungles where they produce coca and
other tropical crops.
The Province of Pachitea was created politically on February 2, 1956. However,
its cultural uniqueness was noted by the Spanish during the mid-1500s when Captain
Gómez Arias de Avila was sent to conquer the region of the Chupaychos
and specifically the Panatahuas of the region of Panao. Arias was accompanied
by clerics who were responsible for the Christianization of the Indians. The
Christianization process of the Catholic Church has continued for some 440 years
and Protestant groups have added their efforts during the past 60 years.
Weber (1989:1) describes the language of the Pachitea Quechua as a "relic
dialect, not having suffered as much as the dialects to the west, which were
much closer to the pre-Columbian centers of prestige." The culture seems to
continue to resist change by the outside world and maintains its language and
traditions as evidenced by the customs and beliefs detailed in this paper.
Searching out Panao Quechua templates
In the process of trying to understand their world, I have learned that coca
leaves and the Mountain are primary elements in the Panao Quechua's cultural
template. A brief story illustrates how these themes intertwine.
The Mountain that Wanted His Heart and Lungs
Once upon a time a man overnighted in Tender Grass Flat. There at that flat
is the Mountain's mouth. The wind blows out from there. There in the middle
of the night Wanakawri Mountain called out to another Mountain saying, "Just
his heart. Just his lungs." Then the other Mountain responded, "But he has eaten
bitter herbs. He has eaten garlic. But there is a skinny runt of a man here
for you to eat. His lungs though are just for me." So then the other Mountain
said, "Please, at least invite me to taste one bite of him. I am craving that
since it has been a year since I have tasted lungs." Listening to that conversation,
chewing coca, the man watched the new day dawn. But the skinny runt of a man,
he did not chew coca. So he was dead as the day dawned. So, we eat bitter herbs
and garlic so the Mountain will not devour us. When we overnight in uninhabited
places, we chew coca leaves. (Juan Villogas Duran)
The vocabulary of this text is rather straightforward. However, it is confusing
to someone who does not share the same encyclopedic knowledge as the Panao Quechua.
They believe that the Mountain is alive and predominantly malevolent. It has
human-like senses which are offended by strong odors like garlic. Caves are
the doors to its house. Also as a deity, it knows the future. And chewing coca
relieves drowsiness. Stories like this highlight their practices and beliefs,
contributing to my efforts to acquire an understanding of the Quechua worldview.
Document created: June 6, 1997
