PEYOTE SCARCITY
SCARCITY OF SUPPLY OF PEYOTE
1. Harvesting the Peyote Cacti
For about 100 years, many Peyote Cacti have been harvested in the wilds of Texas (USA).
This was done mainly by Spanish Peyoteros and indigenous people (Indians).
The population of Peyote Cacti is now threatened.
Because very many Peyote plants are collected in nature nowadays.
2. Peyote is becoming scarce in Texas (USA)
There has been a shortage of Peyote plants in the publicly accessible nature reserves of Texas (USA) for many years.
Peyoteros (collectors) are allowed to collect many millions of Peyote from the wild every year in Texas.
The severed heads (buttons) are sold to segments of the Native American Church (NAC).
Only segments of this church have a legal right to use the Peyote Cacti.
Due to the high demand for Peyote plants, natural growing areas (habitats) are being looted.
Large Peyote Cacti are hard to find these days.
Every year, the harvested Peyote plants get smaller.
A matter of collecting too much !
3. Areas in Texas where Peyote Cacti grow
1. In western Texas at Big Bend National Park.
2. From the mouth of the Pecos River south and east towards Brownsville.
4. Areas in Texas where Peyote Cacti are harvested
1. Until the 1960s.
The main area to harvest Peyote Cacti was Webb County in North Texas.
Especially in the Mirando City area, many Peyote Cacti were harvested and collected.
The collected Peyote heads were dried and sold and used as Peyote buttons.
2. From the 1960s onwards
The Peyoteros collected Peyote Cacti in southern Texas near Rio Grande City after the 1960s.
They deal in Fresh Peyote plants, which are green in colour because they have not been dried
5. No shortage of Peyote elsewhere
Private estates (ranches) still have lots of old and young Peyote plants growing.
But the Peyoteros are not allowed there ....
In Mexico's countryside, lots of Peyote trees still grow.
But the Peyote is protected and banned in Mexico.
So these Peyote's are not allowed to be touched by the Peyoteros either ....
6. Numbers of Peyotes collected by Peyoteros
In the mid-1990s distributors sold more than 2.3 million buttons a year.
But records also show volume has declined steadily from mid-1990s peaks of around 2.3 million buttons.
State figures for 2006 show the peyoteros sold a combined 1.6 million peyote ‘buttons’ .
Nearly 1.48 million buttons in 2008.
1.5 million buttons worth approximately $483,000 last year (2009)
7. Overview of articles on Peyote scarcity
Below is an overview with links to important publications of the last 10 years.
The texts are in English.
Often there are photos accompanying the text.
S.E. Ruckman (www.nativetimes.com, 02-12-2012).
With one photo.
Will Weissert (www.nativetimes.com, 11-11-2010)
No photos.
Will Weissert (Washington Times, 14-11-2010).
Slightly abridged version of 2. Scarcity of peyote means hard times for dealers.
With two photos, though.
Jeff Franks (www.xplanta.com, 16-12-2007).
5. Peyote vendors worry about over harvesting
Jeremy Roebuck (Indian Country News, 16-7-2008).
With photo by Mauro Morales.
Not available on the internet anymore.
See the the Wayback machine:
Jeremy Roebuck (www.freerepublic.com, 29-06-2008).
7. Mescaline on the Mexican Border (Houston press)
Russell Cobb (http://www.houstonpress.com, 13-02-2008).
No more 6 photos.
Not available anymore on houstonpress.
http://lophophora.blogspot.com, 27-2-2008
With 3 photos.
Same article as 7.
Russell Cobb (www.dallasobserver.com, 14-2-2008)
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/texas-peyote-hunters-struggle-to-find-a-vanishing-holy-crop-6398356
8. Peyoteros
A Peyotero is a Peyote collector and dealer (‘dealer’) in the USA with a legal licence.
There are only three Peyoteros left in the USA, all fairly old.
It is a dying profession, mainly due to a shortage of Peyote in the Texas public countryside.
This is due to too much harvesting and collecting of the Peyote Cacti.
As a result, too few Peyote Cacti can continue to grow into large Peyote plants.
1. Peyotero Salvador Johnson (Mirando City, 70 miles north of Rio Grande City).
Salvador Johnson talks about his job
www.themonitor.com
Age: 52 years in 1999.
Dir article is no longer available at www.themonitor.com.
2. Peyotero Mauro Morales (Rio Grande City, USA).
Age: 65 years in 2008.
3. Peyotero from Rio Grande City (USA).
4. Peyoteros Claudio and Amada Cárdenas (Mirando City, Texas).
She was the first licensed Peyotero.
See also: Amada Sanchez Cardenas
6. Scientists on the Peyote
The following scientists have done a lot of research on the Peyote.
Martin Terry
Is Professor of Biology at Sul Ross State University in Alpine (Texas, USA).
Edward F. Anderson
Was also Professor, who made the Peyote his life's work.
See also the book: Peyote, the divine Cactus
7. Native American Church (NAC).
Article in Wikipedia about the Native American Church