Coca k’intu | Sagrada Coca Verde

The TRADITIONAL USE of COCA

Jan 29 2017

The traditional use of Coca represents a ritual cornerstone of the cultural identity of the Andean-Amazonian rainforest.

First of all there is a short ceremony, which consists in choosing carefully the three sacred leaves, called Coca k’intu, from a shared amount of leaves on a small mat, called lliclla or awayu, hand-woven with wool and traditional colors, as part of ceremonies or social moments; the leaves are held in the hands like a small fan; in the much’ay, a reverential act that involves kissing Coca k ‘intu, they are elevate as an offer to the three worlds, hananpacha, kaypacha and uckupacha, to get into harmony with the cosmovision and all the magic, mythical and mysterious energies that govern Life.

Jan 20 2017

When I was running the solidarity operation Rayos de sol in Bolivian region of Chapare, men and women used to gather in the evening, at the light of the oil lamp, in front of the table where the little mat with the leaves was prepared.

Although not yet fully aware, I was passively taking part in the ritual of the sacred green Coca, absorbing the aura of ancestral heritages that had never before convened me so intensely; by then I had clearly caught the meaning of the sacred mystery of Coca in its communitarian dimension, however I was anxious to find out the real mechanisms by which Coca leaves were considered a source of physical and mental energy.

Tag - Coca k’intu

The TRADITIONAL USE of COCA

COCA and I, in BOLIVIAN CHAPARE