“Now We Live for the Money”: Shifting Markers of Status, Stress, and Immune Function in the Peruvian Amazon

This article examines the relationship between cultural changes, socioeconomic status (SES), and psychobiological health outcomes among the Awajún, an indigenous group living in the Peruvian Amazon. Specifically, it documents how historically important markers of status for the Awajún, such as spiritual visions and war‐time success, were replaced by Western markers of status including occupation, income, education and Spanish‐language use. These changes are linked to the broader political‐economic and social agendas of Peruvian government officials and American missionaries who sought religious conversion and economic gain in the deepest reaches of the Amazon. The resulting socioeconomic hierarchies have implications for the health and well‐being of Awajún men and women in the present. Independent of other relevant factors such as age and community, men with lower SES tended to have higher Epstein‐Barr Virus (EBV) antibodies, indicating suppressed immune function, and both men and women with lower SES tended to have higher reported psychological stress levels. This critical biocultural analysis suggests that existing socioeconomic hierarchies in Awajún communities are the result of active colonial, evangelical, and capitalist efforts and shows that local histories and social spheres “get under the skin” to influence the mind and body. [lifestyle change, socioeconomic status (SES), psychological stress, Epstein‐Barr Virus (EBV) antibodies, Amazon, Awajún]