The Prehispanic Mayan Medicine
One of the characteristics of Mayan medicine was its practice, which was integrated into their cosmovision and spiritual beliefs, as well as their observation of the environment. In this game, we will briefly explore three fundamental aspects of ancient Mayan medicine: the concept of sickness, botanical knowledge, and surviving sources.
Sickness
For the Mayan people, sickness was not seen as merely a biological problem but as a punishment or a divine manifestation. This concept, known as chich-kohaanil or "sacred illnes" mirrored the connection between the physical and the spiritual, where forgetting an offering or neglecting prayers could cause illness.
One important concept is "malos vientos", which were believed to be able to penetrate an affected individual. The treatment, they believed, consisted of implorations, prayers, and the application of certain plants. In addition to mal viento, other illnesses existed, such as the flu (tzonpiliniztli), bronchitis (tlatlxiliztli), tuberculosis (tetzauhcocoliztli), scabies (ezcazahuatl), delirium disease (cocoztli), and matlazahuatl, which seemed to be a type of fever accompanied by delirium (Rivera, 2007).
Botanical knowledge
An important aspect of Mayan medicine was the extensive use of local flowers. Mayan doctors, known as ah-men or healers, mastered the knowledge of hundreds of plant species. Each plant was selected not only for its properties but also for its symbolic and spiritual meaning. For example, herbal infusions such as ruda, copal, and balché were used to cleanse the body of negative energies and treat physical ailments, demonstrating a clear link between medicine and ritual (García, 2005).
The ah-men played a dual function: they was empirical doctors and healers. But their work goes beyond the treatment of physical ailments, also they did include rituals and cleanse that pretend reach the equilibrium between an individual and the manifestation of a cosmic chaos o sacred punishment, and this obligated to the healer to use methos that combine the adivination, sacred calendar uses and specific ceremonies (Landa, 1566).
Ancient medicinal documents
Finally, we can observe that the knowledge of Mayan medicine is based on several sources, such as the Ritual de los Becabes, which offers a vision of the Maya concept of illness and the importance of the ah-men. Moreover, the Ritual de los Becabes reveals various aspects of healing as well. Other sources include the Calepino de Motul, the Vocabulario de Mayathan, and the Diccionario de Pio Pérez, which provide us with information and names related to flora, illness, and the specialist healing in charge
Conclusion
It can be observed that the concept of illness in ancient Mayan society was a combination of their knowledge and cosmovision, based on constant observation of their environment. Therefore, both illness and the healer were conceived as having a metaphysical origin, even though the treatment was based on empirical methods.
In the next game, you take on the role of an ah-men. Drive out the evil spirit with the help of your sacred leaf, ruda, and save the Maya from a terrible destiny.