valley of thorns
photograph of a san pedro cactus (echinopsis pachanoi), native to the andes mountains.
1/250; f/43; ISO100; 85mm; NIKON D200
san pedro
san pedro has a long history of being used in andean traditional medicine. archeological studies have found evidence of use going back two thousand years, to moche culture. the name san pedro (saint peter) is attributed to the belief that just as saint peter holds the keys to heaven, the effects of the cactus allow users to reach heaven while still on earth.