Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

Pennsylvania. That work is now continuing under the Guatemalan
government. Today it is a vast park in the jungle in a sparsely populated
area of northern Guatemala, once the favorite haunt of chicleros like Don
Elijio.
It is hard not to be struck by the mystery of the Maya when entering the
now-silent, stunning city. What happened to the Maya civilization? Why
did the Maya suddenly abandon cities like Tikal over what is today Mexico,
Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador around A.D. 900? What were
the ancient Maya like?
Lucy and I and our Hollywood visitors wandered around like children at
a county fair, stopping to gaze at the temples, stelae, and picture carvings of
the ancient Maya.
I couldn’t help think about Panti’s superstitions about Tikal. It was here
that he and Jerónimo had studied plants, and he had warned me that the
Maya Spirits who haunt the place could be dangerous. He would never set
foot in the excavated and reconstructed Tikal. But I had been here many
times and had never felt uncomfortable.
Thomm and I climbed to the top of Temple IV together and sat there for
a long time enjoying the sweeping panorama of the rainforest below. The
ghostly gray temples, once covered in natural red dyes, shimmered in the
heat. The same dry winds that nearly destroyed the farm cooled us.
Thomm pulled out several lovely, large crystals from his pouch and
spread them out in the sun. We watched the light play among the planes of
the crystals as an eagle flew back and forth over our heads, almost daring us
to reach out and touch him. We sat quietly, content to be surrounded by the
sky and the howling winds.
The others called from below, and we descended the ragged, uneven
steps. We both felt happy and peaceful when we got to the ground.
We arrived back in Belize late that night. I had a busy day ahead of me
on the farm with patients scheduled back to back. Shortly after noon, Lucy
and Mick’s young son, Piers, came skipping over clutching a note. It was
from the film crew, informing me that Thomm had taken ill with turistas
during the night. Could I help? the note pleaded.
In between patients, I prepared some of our Traveler’s Tonic, a brew we
concocted of Jackass Bitters and wine to treat and prevent parasites and
amoebas. I sent Piers back with a large bottle and a note with instructions.