Resumo

DIAZ BARRIGA CUEVAS, Alejandro. Some notes on the conceptions of the infants’ body among the ancient Nahuas. Cuicuilco. Rev. cienc. antropol. [online]. 2017, vol.24, n.70, pp.113-137. ISSN 2448-8488.

This article examines the beliefs of the ancient Nahuas regarding the infants’ body, from the gestation in the maternal womb through to the early years of life. Based on the study of data from colonial sources, anthropogenic myths, and language, along with the comparison of reports collected in some contemporary ethnographies, the beliefs that children were not considered complete human beings are shown until reaching, through undergoing rites of passage, its’ human quality, and maintaining a symbolic relationship with the pre-human beings created in different previous eras. Also, it was thought that they were born in a liquid state, and it was necessary to accumulate the heat of the sun in order for them to solidify. Finally, it was thought that the growth of energy was stored in the children’s body, and that it could be transferred to other beings, which is why the child had to be cared for and helped to reach its potential through ritual actions.

Palavras-chave : Childhood; Embryonic development; Animistic entities; Growth; Cosmovision.