Abstract

GUZMAN CHAVEZ, Mauricio Genet. The Santo Daime. Influences and adaptations in its process of expansion in Mexico. Revista Col. San Luis [online]. 2019, vol.9, n.20, pp.271-297.  Epub Mar 14, 2022. ISSN 2007-8846.  https://doi.org/10.21696/rcsl9202019943.

With regard to global spiritualities, with the expansion of new age rituals and, in particular, with the expansion and internationalization of ceremonies whose purpose is the “expansion of consciousness” through the use of psychoactive substances, this text discusses the historical and socio-cultural context that makes possible and at the same time inhibits in Mexico the expansion of Santo Daime, an ayahuasca religion of Brazilian origin. The work is based on the question of what makes it possible to import a religious model and, reciprocally, on the elements of the Mexican religious field (enteogenic, in this case) that are incorporated and added to assimilate and construct a nationalized version. The information allows to open a discussion on the institutionalization processes and the challenges that must be overcome by the users or members of these groups in order to give continuity to their practices in a context marked by the prohibitionist policy against drugs in the international sphere.

Keywords : Santo Daime; ayahuasca; New Age; spirituallity; Mexico.