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Article: Peyote tourism draws controversial crowds to remote Indian town.
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- November 25, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Ricardo Sandoval
REAL DE CATORCE, Mexico _ Hawk feathers tucked into the band of his dusty hat serve as proof that Rico is a serious shaman in training.
The feathers were earned, he said, after he completed religious rituals, in the presence of Huichol Indian teachers, on his path to a higher consciousness.
But Rico is not Huichol. Nor is he Mexican. His full name is Enrico Baldella Pettinari.
In 1994 the Italian expatriate came, he saw, and he got high.
Baldella discovered the way of the Huichol (WEE-chol) and their ambiguously legal, hallucinogenic drug peyote. He's lived here since, earning a living selling handmade ...