Mexico in My Pocket Articles p.3
By Eliana Flores-Barber
Born out of a fever dream, alebrijes have come to represent the beauty, mystery, and magic of Mexico.
In today’s world, alebrijes are a form of folk art that all have come to know and love, but their origins are not as ancient as many believe.
Ancient World
While the Mesoamerican cultures did not specifically have alebrijes, they did have their own versions of magical spirit guides.
In the Zapotec culture there was the “tona” which was assigned to each individual based on their birthday. In the Zapotec calendar, there are 30 months and 20 days in each month. Animals that inhabited different regions of Oaxaca were then associated with each month. The animals which could be chosen from were coyotes, lizards, armadillos, turtles, snakes, rabbits, deer, frogs, monkeys, owls, eagles, jaguars, butterflies, fish, hummingbirds, and snails.
Nahuales, on the other hand, are associated with the Mayan, Toltec, and Mixtec cultures. This refers to men capable of shapeshifting into their animal counterparts.
Through their shape shifting, they are able to communicate with nature and perform other tasks such as healing. In order to obtain their Nahual, men would leave their homes to an isolated place in nature. Upon their arrival they would fall asleep and the animal which would appear in their dream or take care of them once they awoke, became their Nahual.
For babies, there is a ritual in which the father would put mezcal and lime around the house. In the morning, the father would look for the footprint of an animal and the one he would see became the child’s spirit animal.
Their abilities to shape shift vary from region to region, some cultures believe only the most powerful male leaders hold this ability as they are the ones most connected to gods and in some cases they are embodiments of a particular god. In other cultures, all men are capable of performing this act.
What is the Purpose of These Animals?
Alebrijes are from an oneiric world in which they possess qualities of various animals. Some alebrijes are depicted with wings, horns, antlers, or fins, while others possess all these qualities and more. Their bodies are filled with vibrantly painted dots, stripes, flowers, geometric shapes, and flames to make them standout. Many of their features are exaggerated or contorted to emphasize their otherworldliness. Facial expressions vary between peaceful and loving to sinister and distrustful.
While each of these qualities seem excessive, they are all used to help fulfill their purpose in the spirit world.
Alebrijes serve as guides for spirits as they journey to the afterlife. Alongside this, throughout one's life they would keep us from danger while also helping us pursue adventure and new opportunities, all of which ensures we live full and magical lives.
How Do You Connect To Your Spirit Guide?
It is believed that spirit guides find you either during your birth or at different points in your life through your dreams or they can even be animals you have made connections with in the living world.
For many of the alebrijes, they connect with souls who share the same character traits and abilities as they do. For example, someone who has a beautiful singing voice may be connected to a bird. Someone who is fierce, independent, and strong may be connected to a jaguar. Those who are passionate are said to connect with dragons. Individuals who are tenacious have the spirit of a coyote or wolf. People who are loyal and protective have the spirit of a dog.
For babies, the animal which first appears in the circle of lime will not only be their spirit guide but it will also determine their personality.
The Zapotec calendar continues to be the primary way in determining your spirit animal. The calendar was made with a complex cosmology which used spirits, symbols, and animals associated with different days.
How To Discover Your Alebrije (Spirit Animal)
Interested in finding your spirit animal? We recommend using this website: Silencio. For this website, you only need to enter your birthday (month, day, year) and click submit. You’ll immediately receive an image of your spirit animal or animals, and a description as to what each one represents in you. I found out that I am the Eagle and Serpent.
By Eliana Flores-Barber
Spas, hot yoga, saunas, hot tubs, and steam showers are luxury activities raved by participants for the health qualities they possess but did you know many of these activities derive from the ancient practice of heat therapy.
Heat therapy and cleansing rituals have been around for thousands of years. Nearly each culture around the world has their own variation of it and have witnessed the great impact it has on those who partake in them.
In Buddhism, there was a great emphasis on personal and spiritual cleanliness. Therefore countries which practiced the religion developed forms of cleansing activities. In Japan there was the rotenburo, sento, and ofuro.
In Turkey, the hammam tradition was central to their culture. Traditionally it was used as a wedding preparation, a morning ritual, and for daily social life. Today it is a way to embrace history while working on health.
Rooted deep in Mexican heritage is the temazcal ceremony.
Dating back 1,000 years this practice embodies death and rebirth while the temazcal represents a mothers womb.
Far more than a simple steam room, this ceremony blends together ancient rituals with medicinal herbs to aid in the purification of the mental, physical, and spiritual well being of each person.
Temazcal - Nahuatl for ‘the house of heat’ - is traditionally a dome shaped structure made of mud or volcanic stone. A shaman or temazcalero will walk participants into the dark room and ask them to sit in a circle. Steaming volcanic stones are then placed in the center of the circle and water is poured over them to produce extra steam. Stones are progressively brought into the dome to keep the space hot.
Traditionally, these rituals would be performed before warriors would head out to war or athletes before a big game and after their return.
Witnessing the effects this ceremony had on their men, the indigenous communities began to believe they held a sort of healing power. With this knowledge, they began using these sweat lodges as places to give birth in order to protect the mother and her child.
Following the steam, participants will be asked to step out and either take a cold shower or step into a pool in order to lower their body temperature.
What are its benefits?
Physical:
The use of heat on the body is a natural occurrence when one is sick. Bodies are able to increase the inside temperature in order to help flush out any toxins or illnesses. Temazcal rituals perform a similar act. Toxins are released from the body as the steam and heat increase in the dome. In addition, the steam opens the body's pores and allows for any blockage in the pores to be released—leaving you with clearer skin.
Mental:
By allowing oneself to sit and reflect, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to release all of our mental burdens. Any negative thoughts we might have, any intruding thoughts, we are able to work through them and leave the temazcal feeling positive, refreshed, and relaxed.
Nowadays the temazcal is easier to access. Many resorts and boutique hotels across Mexico have included them in their spa offerings for visitors to enjoy. While participating in one it is important to remember temazcal ceremonies offer a glimpse into another side of Mexican culture, one that steps away from tourist attractions and offers a way to heal.
Interested in booking a temazcal? We recommend Temazcal Mariana in Oaxaca City, Mexico. Founder Mariana Emilia turned to the temazcal practices in 1991 as a way to reconnect with life following her husband’s death. Having recently retired from being a nurse and now taking care of her six children alone, anxiety about the future engulfed her. The temazcal practices in many ways was a rebirth for her as she found her calling and a way to heal her mind, body and spirit.
By Eliana Flores-Barber
The national flower of any country is one of great importance. It tells the history and life of the people, and is a trademark of the environment.
With a country, such as Mexico, having such a rich culture and long history, it is only right that a flower as equally colorful and full of life is representative of the nation.
Strong, striking, and vibrant, are only a few words to describe the beautiful Dahlia. Standing roughly between 15 inches and 6 feet (some being even taller), the flower has elongated velvety and colorful petals which stand out against its dark green foliage.
Blooming from the start of summer until the first frost of winter, it has the longest blooming period of any flower. Currently, there are 42 different Dahlia species alone with various subspecies.
Native to Mexico, this flower was known to the Aztec people as “acocoxóchitl” roughly translating to “flower of hollow stems with water.”
This multipurpose flower was used to transport water, was incorporated in food, and was used as medical treatments for epilepsy. It wasn’t until later on that scientists discovered the sugar extracted from the flower was useful in diabetes treatments - prior to the use of insulin.
After the Spaniards arrived in Mexico, the love of the Dahlia spread to Europe. Some of the first documentation of the flower was written by Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún and a few years later in the Codex Barberini of 1552.
It wasn’t until 1963 that President Adolfo López Mateos declared the Dahlia as the national flower of Mexico.
Considered as one of Mexico’s gifts to the world, the Dahlia can be found growing in nearly every country today. For true Dahlia lovers, this flower will add incredible color to your home and you can try it in Oaxacan cuisine.
To learn more about the Dahlia’s and the work of the Asociación Mexicana de la Dalia y Acocoxóchitl click here.