Las tradiciones del chamanismo en la mazateca baja. Trances de posesión

Abstract

In the Mazatec culture (Oaxaca, Mexico), posession trances express themselves through states of altered consciousness. The sinahé (mazateccan shamans) perform curing séances by ingesting teonanacatl ("Flesh of God"), a psylocibine-bearing mushroom. It is from this ecstatic state of consciousness that they approach their expurgation processes, aiming at the expulsion of evil entities, which can cause the loss of the spirit or even death. We establish comparative aspects with the use of posession in the Occidental Chrisüan tradition and the role of exorcists.