The Elements of Mazatec Witchcraft

The 1938 expedition

The present short study proposes to give a body of new data collected recently from a little known group inhabiting a portion of the northeastern corner of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. In addition to these data, a limited amount of comparative material will be presented, with the purpose of pointing out the general unity of witchcraft beliefs and practices in the region conceived as a cultural entity. The new data were collected during the summer of 1938 by a small party of which the writer was a member. Thanks are due the Instituto Panamericano de Geographia e Historia of Mexico for financial assistance.

The ceremony at Huautla de Jiménez

The following information on the practice of curing by witchcraft was obtained in the Mazatec town of Huautla de Jimenez. 3 The brujo (witch) was first contacted through the good offices of Sr. D. Jose Dorantes, a Mazatec merchant of Huautla. The pretext given to the brujo was that one of the members of the party had a sick relative in Mexico City. After nearly a week's, delay the brujo agreed to take the case, and after several discussions with us as to the nature of the ailment, he arranged a meeting with us. The meeting took place at his home on Saturday, July 16, and lasted from ten P. M. to two A. M. There were eight people present at the ceremony, including the members of the party, Sr. Dorantes, the brujo , and his wife. The brujo's wife was apparently asleep, although she occasionally sat up and interjected a remark.

The brujo is an old man, certainly at least seventy years of age. Aside from wearing high, buttoned shoes and a wide brimmed felt hat, he appears like other townspeople. He has a slight case of pinto , and is somewhat palsied. He speaks no Spanish.

• I am indebted to Louise Lacaud, Irmgard Weitlaner-Johnson, and Bernard Bevan for their generosity in permitting me to use this material, of which they were the principal collectors.

The brujo sat in front of a small low table. Above the table were two of the customary religious prints in color. On the table was a Mixtec basket containing six eggs. Also neatly arranged on the table were 48 maize kernels, a candle, a red paper package containing tobaco molido, scissors, white cotton string, a guaje (gourd vessel) also containing tobaco molido , a small square of bark paper, a paper parcel of copal, and a large red and blue guacamaya feather.

On a wall shelf to the left of the table stood a night light and a lighted candle; and a large number of large mushrooms, wrapped in banana leaves. There were also two dried orchids, and a short staff entwined with dried yellow flowers. Under the table was a goblet shaped copal burner, of the usual size and shape.

Procedure

1. The brujo asked the symptoms of the disease, although not in great detail, as these had already been explained at former meetings.

1. He chewed three mushrooms, and a stick of some unknown substance.

1. He took the six eggs from the basket, and placed them in two rows on the table. There were two turkey eggs, two speckled hen eggs, and two plain white hen eggs.

1. He invoked St. Peter and St. Paul, followed by a large number of other saints and local virgenes, including those of Guadalupe, La Soledad de Oaxaca , and the Virgin of Chihuahua.

1. He instructed the relative of the sick person to place a piece of copal in her right hand, while she repeated the name of the sick person. She then placed the pieces of copal in the burner and,

1. The brujo added copal dust and lit it.

1. He asked where the patient was born and where the afterbirth was buried. He said that disease came from a dry wind, aire.

1. He made the sign of the Cross and invoked the spirit of the sick person.

1. He invoked large numbers of saints in a rambling repetitive prayer not unlike a litany, which was followed by an invocation of the duenos , ( reyes ) of the rocks, rivers, mountain, thunder, earth, stars, plants, sun, moon, and la'a, a species of mountain-dwelling dwarf.

1. He then prayed directly to God, saying »King of-

—?», and to San Antonio, a prayer of supplication. He picked up the maize kernels.

1. He made four twisting signs over the table, as if about to cast dice, and saying, »In the name of the Father* Son, Holy Ghost, and Blessed Trinity».

1. He scattered the 48 kernels over the table. Some fell on the dirt floor, were picked up and laid on the edge of the table. Pausing a little, as though in deep concentration, he read the pattern, and divined as follows;

1 st throw- »Confusion-» science» is uncertain if

it can assist».

1. More prayers, much as above, but comparatively short. 2nd throw- »Still confused, but a little clearer».

1. Long prayers, with further invocations of everybody already mentioned; prayers to the chief saints, and to God, Son, and Trinity, etc. He implored them for aid as though he were already supported by the lesser

saints, that is, on the intercession principle. »San-

says, and San-says», etc.

3rd throw-»Possible hope».

4th throw-»Death. I can see the funeral. The spirits are not with me, but hope is not entirely lacking».

5th throw- »If you believe and have faith, there is hope ».

6th throw-»She is already much better, but you must have faith in me».

7th throw- »She is now well, and you can send a telegram to prove it!»

The old man said that he had cured since he was thirteen years old, and was now over seventy. He added that the science he practiced was very old, came from the antepasados , and descended from father to son. During the ceremony he burned copal three times, at first on the floor between his legs, and later holding the burner in his hand. He smoked a cigar between invocations and casting the maize.

The brujo said that every word spoken with sincerity was heard by Heaven, and that all the objects on the table represented the Powers, which are like a bank upon which one could draw, if one had something upon which to draw. He said that he was able to draw upon the Powers, even though unable to read, write, or speak other languages. 4

Questioned as to the significance of the objects upon the table, the brujo said that the prayer is written on the bark paper with the guacamaya feather. To further aid the cure, he said that he would pray in the church and burn candles. Questioned again as to whether we could do anything further to aid the cure, he promised instructions later. The following evening he brought six little parcels of eggs, cacao , copal, feathers, and bark paper. Each parcel was separately wrapped in brown paper, and contained an egg, two or three cacao beans, copal, and a tiny feather wrapped in a small piece of bark paper. These were to be buried in the patio of the home of the patient, oriented east and west.

[Two further sections describing suction-curing, church-based blessing rites, and the maize-divination methods used elsewhere in the Mazatec region are omitted here.]

Mushroom species and their use

Mushrooms are also eaten by the brujos of Mazatlan, as is general throughout the entire Mazatec area. Many varieties are eaten, among which the most common are the following:

1. Hongitos de San Ysidro, the »little mushrooms of San Ysidro», which are called in Mazatec steyi and tsamiye.

1. Desbarrancadera , in Mazatec, tsamikishu. These are very small mushrooms.

1. The tsamikindi, which are smallest of all the narcotic mushrooms eaten by the brujos. 6

While the brujo is under the influence of the narcotic mushroom, it is the mushroom which speaks, and not the brujo. During this time, the brujo stays with his patient. They are alone in a corner of the house. The brujo sings, dances, and prays while under the influence of the mushroom. He would go mad if he took more than six mushrooms, and the patient would die. The brujo calls upon all the saints, and tells where the harm befell the patient. He then orders the egg, copal, etc., to be buried in the house, oriented east and west. Aguardiente is frequently buried with the parcel. The patient must go on a diet for fifty days, and practice continence during this time. The lack of a cure is attributed to a breach of these restrictions.

[The article continues with comparative witchcraft material from neighboring Mazatec, Chinantec, Mixtec, and Zapotec towns, and closing philological notes; that comparative survey is omitted here.]