Collective psychosis of pishtacos in Ayacucho

Between 1987 and 1988, a collective psychosis took hold in the popular neighborhoods of Ayacucho, presenting the Shining Path guerrillas as monstrous pishtacos, with semi-human forms, dedicated to extracting the vital organs of their victims. This phenomenon responded to the serious alteration of Andean cultural patterns in the context of extreme violence. Subsequently, similar cases were recorded in populous areas of Lima, where the pishtacos were described as 'gringos' who extracted human fat or organs.