This article is from the February 1999 The Mexico File
newsletter.
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Temazcal, The Magic of Fire and
Water
by Michael Thompson
Michael Thompson hails
from San Antonio, Texas, and travels to Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende,
Oaxaca and Morelia. He is the author of �Savoring Oaxaca,� which appeared
in the December 1997 issue of The
Mexico File.
Amelia Cabrera de Arroyo
is a woman of many talents. Restauranteur, innkeeper, gardener, folkhealer and
former nurse are just a few of the skills she draws upon for her livelihood.
Not only is she the owner of a restaurant and a bed and breakfast
establishment, but she also finds time to tend to two gardens on the outskirts
of the city of Oaxaca. In one she grows herbs and in the other, flowers. It is
in the flower garden that Amelia maintains a very special place called
Temazcal.
Temazcal is best described
as an indigenous Indian steam bath. Its name comes from Nahuatl, the language
of the Aztecs � �temaz,� meaning bath, and �calli,� which means
house. It is based on traditional healing methods used by the ancient peoples
of Mexico in which the properties of fire and water are combined to purify the
mind, body and soul. According to Jacques Soustelle, in his classic book, Daily
Life of the Aztecs, such baths were quite common in ancient times and can
still be found in rural villages today.
After having lunch in her
restaurant, my companion Rafe and I knocked on the door of Amelia�s home
which was located around back. The young woman who answered invited us in,
offered us a seat and then went to find Amelia. After a few minutes a
dignified yet unpretentious woman appeared. She greeted us with a big smile
and a sincere welcome that made us feel right at home. This gentle woman was
Amelia. Somehow, we felt as if
she had been expecting us.
Soon she and Rafe were
engaged in a conversation in Spanish, a conversation of which I was able to
get the gist, if not all the details. The next thing we knew, we had scheduled
an appointment for a steam bath and massage for the following day. We paid a
small deposit which was to be used to purchase the firewood for the bath. All
we had to do was return the next day and she would drive us to the Temazcal,
located in a quiet suburb north of the city.
When we arrived the
following day we entered through a gate into Amelia�s own secret garden
brimming with flowers. Toward the back, tucked in a corner and almost hidden
beneath a vibrant red bougainvillea was the Temazcal. As we stepped into its
dimly lit interior, the brilliant Oaxacan sunshine was replaced by the
flickering light of candles which surrounded an altar to the Virgin of
Guadalupe. In front of the altar two soft pallets were laid out on the
reed-mat floor. In one corner dust particles floated in and out of a narrow
beam of light which penetrated the space through a small opening in the roof.
Soft music played in the background and complemented the serene and sacred
nature of the space.
Amelia instructed us to
step behind a curtain, undress, and wrap a sheet around our waists. This done,
we stepped back out, got down on our hands and knees, and crawled through a
small opening to an adobe brick chamber which was heated from the outside by a
wood fire. The interior was small, maybe about six feet square and four feet
high. Rafe and I sat on the floor along one side, then Amelia crawled in and
knelt in front of us. An assistant passed her a lighted candle, some bundles
of dried native herbs, and then closed the tiny door through which we had
entered, effectively sealing the three of us inside this warm and earthen
womb.
With the gentle features of
her face illuminated by the single flame of the candle, Amelia gave a brief
explanation of what would take place. Then
she began. She placed some of the herbs behind our backs and alongside our
outstretched legs. Then, in almost a whisper, she began to chant a melodious
prayer in an Indian dialect. While she prayed, she briefly massaged our arms and
legs, then took a bundle of herbs and dipped it into some water in a clay pot.
She gently tapped our arms, chests and legs with the herbs, then shook out the
water from the bundle onto some hot stones. The vaporous cloud of steam, which
resulted from the contact of the water with the heat, snaked its way up to the
ceiling. We believe that this ritual was intended to draw out any physical or
spiritual malaise from our bodies and souls and carry them away with the steam.
Our bodies slowly relaxed as our worries melted away in the calming warmth.
After this was done we
curled ourselves up with our knees under our chins. Amelia then performed a kind
of baptism, slowing drenching us with cupfuls of water. After crawling back out
through the small door, we exchanged the wet sheets around our waists for dry
ones. Then we laid down on the pallets in front of the altar. We then received a
long soothing massage from Amelia and her assistant, after which they quietly
left us to relax in a state of bliss for as long as we desired. The only
intrusions from the outside world were the sounds of a rooster crowing, the bell
of a vendor passing along the street, and the sound of water as Amelia tended
her plants in the garden. When we were ready, we got up, dressed, and stepped
back into the world, refreshed and renewed.
I have heard it said many
times, from many sources, that Oaxaca is a magical place. The spiritual
experience of the Temazcal was a confirmation of this. In the hectic pace of our
daily lives, it provided a soothing escape and intriguing insight into ancient
ways � ways which, to some, may seem primitive or superstitious, but which are
perhaps wiser than our own. While Amelia may earn her living drawing on and
preserving the ancient traditions of her people, she is also a woman in touch
with the technological age. Before leaving, I asked if I could write to keep in
contact. She confidently replied...�Of course, just email me.�
To contact Amelia Cabrera de
Arroyo, her address is Calle Reforma #402, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico CP 68000. Her
telephone and fax number is 52-951-611-65.
On the internet, email her at digitek@antequera.com
or see the webpage at www.mexonline.com/bugambil.htm
� Michael Thompson, 1999