Walking the Red Road: a dialogue between Brazil and Mexico

• Grant number: 18/04922-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): July 18, 2018
• Effective date (End): July 17, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: Ronaldo Romulo Machado de Almeida
• Grantee: Rodrigo Iamarino Caravita
• Supervisor: Angela Renee de La Torre Castellanos
• Host Institution: Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas (IFCH). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT), Mexico
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/13244-3 - Symmetrical and Reverse Anthropology in Contemporary Shamanic Practices, BP.DR

Abstract

The main goal of this project is to investigate one of the cradles of the main shamanic line addressed in the original research project (doctorate), the Red Road. Mexico, together with United States, is one of the central places where various practices linked to it occur. The original proposal is to carry out a cartography of contemporary shamanic practices from the Red Path (as the main line to be followed). Many of the Brazilian participants travel constantly to Mexico to participate in rituals and ceremonies. There is also a strong influence of Castaneda's ideas on the Brazilian scene, supported by a Toltec shamanism of his teacher, Don Juan, a supposed Yaqui Indian from the Sonora desert. There are many elements that refer to Mexico: temazcal, peyote, the sun dance, nagualism. In addition to this ethnographic interest, Mexico has distinguished itself with several studies on central themes for this research (nagualism, neo mexicanity and New Age, besides several studies on the Red Road/Path). Therefore, this stage also proposes a period of learning in the country , in order to establish theoretical dialogues between Brazil and Mexico from the ethnographic study in both countries.