The Peruvian Amazon is home to a rich and diverse tradition of shamanism, with a variety of different types of shamans practicing in the region. These shamans each have their own unique skills and practices, and they are often distinguished by the types of plants and healing techniques they use. Below are some of the most common types of shamans found in the Peruvian Amazon:
1) Ayahuasceros are perhaps the most well-known type of shaman in the Amazon, as they specialize in working with the powerful psychedelic plant Ayahuasca. Ayahuasceros are highly skilled in guiding participants through the intense and often overwhelming experience of an Ayahuasca ceremony, helping them to connect with the plant spirits and gain insights into their own lives.
2) Tabacceros: Tabacceros specialize in working with the sacred plant tobacco, which is used for its cleansing and protective properties. Tabacceros may use tobacco in various forms, including smoking, snuffing, and chewing, and they are skilled in using tobacco to clear negative energies and entities from the body and the environment.
3) Sanangueros: Sanangueros are shamans who work with the sacred plant Sanango, which is known for its powerful visionary and healing properties. Sanangueros are skilled in using this plant to help participants connect with the spirit world and gain insights into their own lives.
4) Curanderos: Curanderos are a type of shaman who specialize in the use of medicinal plants for healing purposes. They may work with a wide range of plants, including Ayahuasca, and they are skilled in diagnosing illnesses and creating plant remedies to treat them.
5) Parfumeros: Parfumeros are shamans who specialize in working with the aromatic plants of the Amazon. They may use these plants to create perfumes, incenses, and other aromatic products for spiritual and healing purposes. Parfumeros are skilled in blending different plants together to create complex and potent aromatic blends.
6) Paleros: Paleros, also known as tree doctors, work with the sacred trees such as Lupuna, Shihuahuaco, Chuchuhuasci, Chullachaqui caspi as well as other trees to clear negative energies and entities and to protect the body and environment from harm. They may use various parts of the tree, such as the bark or leaves, for spiritual and healing purposes.
7) Oracionistas: Oracionistas are a type of shaman who specialize in the use of prayers, incantations, and other spiritual practices to connect with the spirit world and facilitate healing. They may work with various types of plants, as well as other tools such as crystals and sacred objects, to support their work.
8)) Vegetalistas: Vegetalistas are shamans who specialize in working with the "vegetal" or plant realm. They may work with a wide range of plants, including Ajos Sacha, Chirik Sanango, Bobinsana, and they are skilled in using these plants to facilitate healing and transformation.
9) Dieters: Dieters are shamans who specialize in working with a specific plant or group of plants. They undergo rigorous training and initiation in the traditional practices of working with these plants, and they often follow strict diets and abstain from certain activities in order to connect more deeply with the plants.
10) Brujos: Brujos are a type of shaman who specialize in working with the dark arts. They may use spells, curses, and other forms of black magic to harm or manipulate others. While some brujos may use their skills for good, many are feared and avoided by the local population.
Those are just some of the specializations that exist in the Peruvian Amazon and it is important to know with which shaman you will be having a ceremony to avoid risks of meeting a “black” shaman or the one id not a specialist in the field of your interest.
Overall, the diversity of shamanic practices in the Peruvian Amazon reflects the rich and complex history of the region and its people. Each type of shaman has its own unique skills and practices, and all are respected for their deep connection to the plant spirits and their ability to facilitate healing and transformation.