| Origin | Chile |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 19th century |
| Ingredients | paint thinner,paint,turpentine,varnish,cola |
ThePájaro verde (lit.Green Bird) is a highly toxic alcoholic beverage (due to the presence of chemicals such asthinners,paint orturpentine) produced clandestinely and illegally inside Chileanprisons. The drink was reported by the Chilean press after a series of scandals in which prisoners died from its consumption.
According to some scholars,[who?] within the prison culture this drink has aritualistic character. It originated in the Chilean prisons of the 19th century; the practice has been preserved over time throughoral tradition.[1]
Its ingredients have varied throughout history and part of the prison rite is to prepare it with the available resources. Today, the most common way is toferment a mixture of sugar, rice,rotten and fresh fruits and their peels; a strong chemical is added to this liquid, such as turpentine, paint thinners, paint orvarnish to give it a "greater neural shock".[1] There have been cases whereexcrement has even been used in the fermentation process.[2]
The result is a distillate with a high degree ofmethanol, which is toxic to humans – unlikeethanol, which is found in common alcoholic beverages. It is sometimes mixed with acola drink to "enhance the taste".Lemon juice is usually added to the final mixture (usually in the same container from which it is drunk) as there is a belief that this citrus counteracts the toxic effects of the chemicals that make up the drink.[3][4]
Given the tremendously harmful nature of the main ingredients, there have been many convicts who have been seriously intoxicated, even reaching the point of death.
In July 2006, in theRancagua Prison, one convict died, another was leftbrain dead and five were seriously damaged in thetrachea after drinking a mixture of thinner withCoca-Cola in an attempt to emulate this drink.[5][6] The case of theValparaíso Penitentiary is also known, where an inmate died in the Carlos van Buren hospital after drinkingPájaro verde, which caused a seizure at the prison.[2]
Today the deadly drink continues to exist in Chilean prisons, although to a much lesser degree and with less toxic variations, such aschicha prepared in the same way but without diluents, which are replaced bymedicinal alcohol. This chicha, which is considered heir to the green bird, is usually consumed together withclonazepam —ananxiolytic known as the prison drug— and less frequently withcocaine,marijuana orcocaine paste.[1]