Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

infertility, menstrual migraines, and hormonal imbalances. Most often he
made a mixture containing Contribo, Copalchi, Man Vine, and Zorillo. He
called this Sacca Todo, pull out everything, in reference to its marvelous
eliminative powers and ability to cleanse the uterine membrane of
incompletely flushed menstrual fluids. Incompletely flushed fluids, with
consequent hardening of the membrane, was one of the main causes of
painful periods, he said.
While plants were an essential part of his treatment of women’s
problems, his philosophy of women’s health centered on the proper position
of the uterus. Don Elijio believed that displacement of the uterus was what
caused the multitude of women’s complaints. He said that 90 percent of
modern women have a prolapsed uterus that lies askew to one side or the
other, tipped backward or forward, or too close to the pelvic floor.
“The womb is the woman’s center,” he said. “Her very being and
essence are in this organ. If the uterus is not sitting where it should be,
nothing is right for her; she will have late periods, early periods, clotted
blood, dark blood, painful periods, no babies, weakness, headaches,
backaches, nervousness, and all manners of ailments.”
He treated uterine displacement with vigorous external massage, which
sometimes made the women cry out in pain. This was followed by Sacca
Todo taken as a tea—three times daily, ten days before menstruation—as
well as vaginal steam baths with Xiv.
I watched him one day in action. Lola, a mother of three young
children, was complaining of extremely painful periods that made her go to
bed for three days at a time. She had had three hospital births in four years,
and each one had been difficult.
“It was very hard for me to have my babies, tatito,” Lola cried, “and it
took me a long time, a very long time, to recover afterward. What is wrong
with me? The doctors and nurses say there is nothing wrong, but I know
something isn’t right. I come with faith to see you.”
“Come, I must examine you,” answered Don Elijio, motioning to her
and to me to follow him into the examining room.
Lola lay down on the mattress and raised up her skirt, exposing a soft
brown belly with many stretch marks. He began to examine her abdomen
just above the line of pubic hair. Within a minute he exclaimed confidently,
“Aha! There’s your sickness. The womb is out of position. It’s too low and
lying on the right side. You have headaches, numbness in your right foot,