Mayan Healing, Religion, and Relationships

One part of the reading that I really enjoyed this week was the section exploring Mayan ideas about medicine, religion, and healing. I am in a Medical Anthropology class this semester and many of the topics we have been discussing in this class can be related directly to Guatemala. The Mayan classification between k'u'x (the heart) and anima (the soul) represent the base through which people identify themselves in Guatemala. These forces are vital to life and health, and are a means through which Mayans make sense of the world. Furthermore, the various methods of treatment and medicine discussed in this chapter relate to k'u'x and anima. Such therapeutic procedures involving family and use of healers symbolize Guatemalan social systems and relationships. I think that by studying how the Mayan treat spirituality and medicine we will discover that our own practices here in the U.S are somewhat similar.

One example that I believed showed the interaction of k’u’x and anima was that of the little boy Kan. In this scenario, Kan had experienced stress and conflict in his early life. His parents thought that he had an “unbalanced k’u’x and misdirected anima” (82). Kan’s behavior problems and tantrums were thus linked symbolically to his inner spirit and soul loss. To heal him, his family called a aj q’ij (religious specialist) to perform a rejuvenating ritual. They all accompanied him to a stream, where he was repeatedly washed in the water to “return his missing parts of soul” (82). More than anything, this ceremony represents a social practice that Kan’s family participated in as a collective whole. By performing this ritual they were strengthening their ties and asserting loyalty. The role of the religious specialist also represents a vital figure whose power is created through healing. This example demonstrates the way in which Mayans use relationships, interpersonal interactions, and spiritual ceremonies as a way to overcome hardships.

In conclusion, the Mayan systems of faith, healing, and social relationships are not too different from our own ideas and practices here in the U.S. Christianity’s version of the soul closely reflects that of k’u’x’ and anima; moreover, when a family member becomes ill, others form a system of support, just like in Kan’s case. The powerful spiritual healers of the Mayan can be paralleled to our western medical physicians. It is interesting to note these similarities, for maybe we are not as different as we think from that of the culture of Guatemala.