Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

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The Whole Earth Review for assigning the articles that led me to Ix Chel Farm; and Charles Eisendrath, the Michigan Journalism Fellows program, and the Kellogg Foundation for giving me the time to pursue my interest in traditional medicine. I would like to thank Rosita Arvigo for her friendship and for living her life so fully and true; our agent, Regula Noetzli, for her nurturing of the project from beginning to end; and our wonderful editors, Kandace Hawkinson and Andrea Lewis. Special thanks to my parents, Seymour and Ruth Epstein, who introduced me to the world of the Maya, and to Samuel “Noah” Epstein Phillips, who was born at nearly the same time as this book. N.D.E.
FOREWORD As part of my work, I receive a great deal of correspondence from people around the world. Many of these letters contain suggestions for plants that should be investigated, or invitations to visit people who have an interest in the relationship between plants and people. Some letters “glow” (for want of a better word) and stand out. They express sensitivity, strength, commitment, even intrigue. In April 1987, I received such a letter from Dr. Rosita Arvigo, introducing herself and inviting me to visit the farm that she and her husband, Greg, had carved out of the tropical forest in Belize. She wanted me to meet “an old Mayan bush doctor” who, she wrote, “has practiced his ancient system of medicine for fifty years.” No one in his community was interested in carrying it on beyond his lifetime, believing that his work was “with the Devil.” Rosita, a naprapathic physician, herbalist, and now his apprentice, wrote that it would be a tragedy if Don Elijio’s knowledge was lost to humanity. Her timing was perfect. A group of us at The New York Botanical Garden had just received a five-year contract from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to collect plants in the tropics of this hemisphere for testing in the NCI AIDS and cancer screens, as part of the NCI Developmental Therapeutics Program. Intrigued by her letter, I decided to stop in Belize that summer on my way back from Honduras. I will never forget the day that I stepped off the plane, into a place that was to become one of the great passions of my life. With the warmth and gentility that is natural to them, Rosita and Greg were there to meet me at the airport. We drove across the country to their farm in western Belize and talked late into the night about our goals and philosophies. The next day, notebook and camera in hand, I waded across the Macal River with Rosita, cut through the forest, and turned right on the dirt road that leads to San Antonio. Perhaps two hours later, we walked out of the forest onto a hill overlooking the small village of San Antonio. We then went to Don Elijio’s house, where he greeted Rosita with the warmth and
Page 4 and 5: DEDICATION Dedicated to Don Elijio
Page 6 and 7: CONTENTS DEDICATION EPIGRAPH ACKNOW
Page 8 and 9: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to tha
Page 12 and 13: tenderness reserved for a favorite
Page 14 and 15: sometimes combining nutritional or
Page 16 and 17: MAP
Page 18 and 19: unsolved mystery until years later
Page 20 and 21: CHAPTER ONE Linden Flowers, Basswoo
Page 22 and 23: As soon as I heard his name, I almo
Page 24 and 25: The old man’s friend had come for
Page 26 and 27: the soil was impoverished, hardpan
Page 28 and 29: opposite bank. In Belizean fashion,
Page 30 and 31: of the village farms, finding an un
Page 32 and 33: “Are there no curanderos in your
Page 34 and 35: Hours later, he reappeared—showin
Page 36 and 37: CHAPTER THREE Wormseed Epasote Chen
Page 38 and 39: “It is too damp and muddy for me
Page 40 and 41: “This is Man Vine. This plant is
Page 42 and 43: man’s hand back and forth, causin
Page 44 and 45: CHAPTER FOUR Amaranth Amaranto Cala
Page 46 and 47: One day he stopped to trade and tal
Page 48 and 49: uins of the Maya city of Tikal. The
Page 50 and 51: would become seriously ill. This he
Page 52 and 53: CHAPTER FIVE Jackass Bitters Tres P
Page 54 and 55: that cure. I was sad when he left m
Page 56 and 57: three places, using the sharp end o
Page 58 and 59: myself to sleep in the dust. I had
Page 60 and 61:
CHAPTER SIX Corn Maize Im Che Zea m
Page 62 and 63:
“I’m willing to wait three year
Page 64 and 65:
nothing about them. Please, I want
Page 66 and 67:
strapping on plastic flour sacks, m
Page 68 and 69:
We’d been steadily trudging uphil
Page 70 and 71:
acks and the emerging midday heat.
Page 72 and 73:
Where were we now? How far was it y
Page 74 and 75:
we had our share of arguments. The
Page 76 and 77:
the northern strain—I bathed them
Page 78 and 79:
CHAPTER NINE Anal Psychotria acumin
Page 80 and 81:
“Claudia, at your service. Maybe
Page 82 and 83:
CHAPTER TEN Wild Yam Cocolmeca Dios
Page 84 and 85:
He also believed in the Nine Malevo
Page 86 and 87:
I had to admire Don Elijio’s simp
Page 88 and 89:
stone tools, spinning whorls, shard
Page 90 and 91:
four-star hotel. Panti put down his
Page 92 and 93:
Spirits. All of our crystals came o
Page 94 and 95:
“I leave these jícaras with you
Page 96 and 97:
Crystal was sleeping on her bed und
Page 98 and 99:
The aroma of moist, rotting humus w
Page 100 and 101:
There was no evidence and no case,
Page 102 and 103:
We opened the door wide to let the
Page 104 and 105:
make them tired and dizzy. We must
Page 106 and 107:
When I returned with the three-part
Page 108 and 109:
Doña Juana held the lantern overhe
Page 110 and 111:
ailing women came from all over Cen
Page 112 and 113:
He instructed her to boil a handful
Page 114 and 115:
weakness in the legs, and constipat
Page 116 and 117:
Not too confidently, I began to exa
Page 118 and 119:
CHAPTER FIFTEEN Balsam Tree Balsamo
Page 120 and 121:
Later in the day, one of the crew,
Page 122 and 123:
Panti wanted to consult his sastun
Page 124 and 125:
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Allspice Pimienta G
Page 126 and 127:
He was both excited and bewildered,
Page 128 and 129:
I also knew what he meant when he p
Page 130 and 131:
able to treat the mind, body, and s
Page 132 and 133:
that once belonged to a child’s e
Page 134 and 135:
Viento de descuido means Wind of Ca
Page 136 and 137:
worthy of her. She comes out of the
Page 138 and 139:
loodcurdling cry, followed by the s
Page 140 and 141:
Panti spoke quietly to her as she g
Page 142 and 143:
had first seen the book in the 1950
Page 144 and 145:
CHAPTER NINETEEN Duck Flower Contri
Page 146 and 147:
“They don’t understand,” he s
Page 148 and 149:
Doña Rosa spent the night and we h
Page 150 and 151:
men who had asked him to give up hi
Page 152 and 153:
to offer. As we left, one suggested
Page 154 and 155:
Che Xiv, the chief herb formula tha
Page 156 and 157:
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Billy Webb Tree
Page 158 and 159:
whispering, kissing and whispering
Page 160 and 161:
“I lost my daughter. I lost my wi
Page 162 and 163:
Antonio who shared his respect for
Page 164 and 165:
I was unable to refuse his request.
Page 166 and 167:
By the time I had finished, Antonio
Page 168 and 169:
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Cross Vine Cru
Page 170 and 171:
I followed him in, and he sat down
Page 172 and 173:
I saw that he was crying and bent o
Page 174 and 175:
and met Saint Peter. He looked at m
Page 176 and 177:
A few weeks later, on February 4, 1
Page 178 and 179:
pamphlet. On the back, we printed a
Page 180 and 181:
esembles a basement. There is a cla
Page 182 and 183:
PICTURE SECTION
Page 184 and 185:
Rosita with Don Elijio on the trail
Page 186 and 187:
Don Elijio with patients
Page 188 and 189:
Jackass Bitters
Page 190 and 191:
Contribo (photos by Michael Balick)
Page 192 and 193:
Polly Red Head
Page 194 and 195:
Don Elijio gathering herbs on trail
Page 196 and 197:
Rosita with Don Elijio chopping med
Page 198 and 199:
GLOSSARY OF MAYAN WORDS c’ox ca
Page 200 and 201:
Castor Bean Tree, Oil Nut Ricino, I
Page 202 and 203:
Palo Verde Eupatorium (Critonia) mo
Page 204 and 205:
ABOUT THE AUTHORS Rosita Arvigo Now
Page 206 and 207:
COPYRIGHT HarperSanFrancisco and th
Page 208:
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER Australia Harpe
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Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

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