Nahua (maseual) and Totonac (tutunakú) cosmologies of the Sierra Norte de Puebla (Mexico). Part two: souls, owners, evil forces

Abstract

Continuing our comparative study of indigenous cosmologies on the basis of narratives and interviews in the Sierra Norte de Puebla (see Beaucage & Rojas Mora 2021), we here examine encounters between humans and those supernatural beings which remained on the earth when the time of creation ended: Owners of Earth, Water, and Fire, as well as evil beings such as the ‘Winds’ and the tepeuanij. These encounters often have consequences on health, with fright or ‘susto’ being the most common, but not the only one. In order to understand this spiritual pathology and the treatments which are still carried out by healers and shamans, we shall first explain the conception of ‘animistic centers and entities’ in Nahua and Totonac cultures, identifying three of these: the ‘mind/heart/soul’, the ‘shadow,’ and the ‘animal double’. As cosmic forces affect these entities in a different way, treatments will vary. Our study sheds light on important differences in concept and practice between Nahua and Totonac, as well as on variations between communities which belong to the same ethnic group. More studies are needed in order to assess the extent of these variations correctly.