El Tabacón

giant · Peru · South America

Not independently attested as a giant of Peruvian folklore. 'Tabacón' is a plant name (Nicotiana glauca, palán-palán) and the name of the Tabaconas–Namballe sanctuary in Cajamarca, but no source documents a tobacco giant guarding the Amazon rainforest. Tobacco's sacred role in Amazonian shamanism is real; the towering guardian spirit is invented.

Open in the interactive archive →