Abstract

ARZAPALO MARIN, Ramón. La ciencia médica del maya peninsular: Perspectivas sincrónica y diacrónica. Península [online]. 2005, vol.1, n.0, pp.17-28. ISSN 1870-5766.

The present study is a contribution to the professional medicine as practiced by the Mayans in the Yucatán Peninsula since the Colony. The documentary research is based primarily on El ritual de los Bacabes, which is a collection of chants and medical prescriptions transcribed in roman characters from a hieroglyphic manuscript written by the Yucatec-Mayas. The beautiful incantations written in a literary and cryptic style provide rich information for a better understanding of their ancient civilization. This research departs from the philological and semiotic analyses of the literary and esoteric texts and offers an insight in to the practice of medicine. Etymologies allow us to understand their cosmogony better, and in particular, to capture in some manner their knowledge of everything regarding diseases and healing; etiology, the classification of pains or illness, its therapy, as well as its relation to social, supernatural and the physical environment in general. Some final remarks are made for further research both in synchronic, as well as in diachronic perspectives.

Keywords : Mayan Medicine; Missionary Linguistics; Rituals; Semiotic Analyses; Mayan Literature.