Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer

CHAPTER TWELVE
Copal Tree Pom Protium copal
The tree and its resin are sacred to the Maya, who burn the aromatic resin as incense during
ceremonies of purification, thanksgiving, and supplication to the Gods. The burning of Copal incense
is a specific treatment for spiritual diseases such as envy, fright, the evil eye, grief, and sadness. It is
believed to ward off evil spirits and black magic. The powdered bark is applied to wounds and
infected sores. The boiled bark relieves stomach cramps and destroys intestinal parasites. The resin
forms the basis of a varnish used on many fine woods.
Shortly after the Primicia, a refugee from El Salvador named Orlando
showed up at our gate asking for work. We had a herculean task before us
of felling several dead sixty-foot trees, sawing up the branches, and burning
them so the snakes wouldn’t take up residence in the underbrush. We knew
we couldn’t do it alone, so after counting our scarce cash, we agreed to hire
him for the next three days.
By the end of the second day, we had felled dozens of trees and were
preparing to burn the piles of branches. I hated clearing the forest, thinking
it sad to see such noble trees lying on the ground, having surrendered their
lives to our needs. That day our farm looked like a graveyard to me, with
our machetes dripping with the trees’ life-giving sap.
We knew it was imperative to set the brush on fire at the appropriate
time of day, due to the wind’s ability to carry away the flames, especially
during the dry season. One had to have the experience and knowledge of
the bush to do it right, and after talking with Orlando, he assured us with
supreme confidence that he did. He puffed up his chest and said, “Si, señor,
yo sé bién.” Yes, sir, I know well.
At eight the next morning he ceremoniously set fire to a dozen piles of
brush and tree trunks only ten yards from our two huts. Within minutes
Greg and I knew he and we had made a serious mistake. The early morning
wind began swirling around the farm carrying menacing tongues of flame.
We quickly were engulfed as ten-foot-high flames whipped around in every
direction.