'///////////////////^,,^,IIJ^I^^, 



WEST 



^.>e./K. 



1975 



small and inconspicuous life forms within the vegetation com- 

 plex. Close observation of the understory reveals a number of 

 different cacti. Peyote grows in association with a variety of 

 plants; instead of seeking a particular indicator plant, Peyoteros 

 look for a combination of landscape features in their search: 

 caliche and stony-gravel slopes of small hills and escarpments, 

 non-sandy soils, and a physiognomic life-form combination of 

 shrubs and understory cacti are (Tassajillo and Pitaya cacti) often 



associated with Peyote. 



Some Peyoteros have idiosyncratic means of hunting Peyote. 



One Peyotero claims that she is able to detect the plant through 



smell, a smell similar to the odor of "strong nicotine" (Lopez, 



1974). Another Peyotero said that he has insomnia from the 



fumes of the plants which he cuts; at night, with his eyes closed, he 



visualizes the location of plants which he finds the following day 



(Davila, 1973). Indians consume the first plant encountered on 



the hunt; they believe they will then be able to find easily all the 



Peyote for their needs. Peyote leaders search for a particular 



Peyote plant having twelve or thirteen segments. This special 



77 



