Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

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the northern strain—I bathed them in a tub filled with boiled Red Gumbolimbo bark. It soothed their painful rashes, lowered the high fevers, and helped them fall into a deep, restful sleep. In the beginning of my apprenticeship, I would return from San Antonio and search my backyard farmacia, pharmacy, for a specific plant, never certain I could identify it without Don Elijio’s help. After about a year and a half of tramping about in the rainforest, plants began to stand out as individuals with uses and exciting histories. The dark, mysterious forest of trees and lianas was becoming a familiar place of knowledge and healing. Once I felt sure that the plant in my hand was what I believed it to be, it took much more time before I felt completely confident that I could use the plants I collected on my patients. Only gradually did I became proficient at using the cures Don Elijio had taught. Our lives were still difficult and challenging, but our perseverance was showing results. Our natural healing practice in San Ignacio Town was flourishing. As Greg and I began to realize that we had purchased thirtyfive acres of medicine—enough to last several lifetimes—we no longer needed to import herbs from the United States. An increasing number of our patients were coming from the Mennonite community of Spanish Lookout, about ten miles northeast of San Ignacio. The German Mennonites, a Christian sect, had settled in Belize in 1958 to form a farming community of several hundred settlers. They came to us mostly for naprapathic treatments. Hands-on healing had always been a part of their culture, and they arrived at our office by the truckload. We treated all ages, from newborns to the elderly. Sometimes as many as twelve members of one family filled our waiting room. Gradually, our ugly, burned-out clearing in the jungle was transforming itself into a showplace of tropical flowers, including hibiscus in four shades, orchids, and heliconia. The fruit trees were beginning to bear their mangoes, oranges, lemons, and avocados. The pineapples and bananas were fat and sweet. We discovered wild fruit trees in our jungle, including annona, hog plum, and zapote, a favorite fruit of the ancient Maya. Its delicious flavor reminded me of a peach embellished with a dash of cinnamon. Our organic gardens were sprouting some hearty, deep green varieties of lettuce, with succulent, tender leaves. Collard greens had become one of our
most reliable crops, and we relished them in their raw and cooked states. Ground crops such as cassava and macal (taro root) had become our staples. With our finances improving, there were times we were able to hire farmhands and a housekeeper to relieve some of the burden of the relentless, daily chores. We also paid Panti tuition—a source of income that never failed to surprise him but one that he greatly appreciated. We still had bad days, but more often Greg, Crystal, and I appreciated that we had our very own piece of paradise. There was no more talk of moving back to Chicago. We no longer wanted to be anywhere but at our little riverside farm, which we decided to name in honor of the Maya Goddess of medicine. We celebrated the christening of our homestead with a bottle of champagne we had chilled in the river. We named it Ix Chel Farm.
Page 4 and 5:
DEDICATION Dedicated to Don Elijio
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CONTENTS DEDICATION EPIGRAPH ACKNOW
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to tha
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The Whole Earth Review for assignin
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tenderness reserved for a favorite
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sometimes combining nutritional or
Page 16 and 17:
MAP
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unsolved mystery until years later
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CHAPTER ONE Linden Flowers, Basswoo
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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 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
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worthy of her. She comes out of the
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loodcurdling cry, followed by the s
Page 140 and 141:
Panti spoke quietly to her as she g
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had first seen the book in the 1950
Page 144 and 145:
CHAPTER NINETEEN Duck Flower Contri
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“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
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whispering, kissing and whispering
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“I lost my daughter. I lost my wi
Page 162 and 163:
Antonio who shared his respect for
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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
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I followed him in, and he sat down
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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
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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
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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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