The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge shattered the paradigm on contemporary anthropology when it was published in the 1960s. The story follows a young Carlos as he attends UCLA for a graduate degree in anthropology. Interested in seeking information on Native American shamanism, Castaneda is introduced to don Juan Matteus at a bus station where Carlos asks him for information regarding peyote. After a few reprimands over the course of several weeks Don Juan vehemently asserts that he doesn't teach "pieces of information," but a "system of knowledge," that--in order for Carlos to follow--requires that he give up his entire existence in Western Culture. What follows can only be described as a life-altering apprenticeship into the deepest mysteries of Mayan sorcery.
