La ciencia médica del maya peninsular. Perspectivas sincrónica y diacrónica

Abstract

The present study is a contribution to the professional medicine as practiced by the Mayans in the Yucatán Península since the Colony. The documentary research is based primarily on El ritual de los Bacabes, which is a collection of chants and medical prescriptions transcribed in roman characters from a hieroglyphic manuscript written by the Yucatec-Mayas. The beautiful incanrations written in a literary and cryptic style provide rich information for a better understanding of their ancient civilization. This research departs from the philological and semiotic analyses of the literary and esoteric texts and offers an insight into the practice of medicine. Etymologies allow us to understand their cosmogony better, and in particular, to capture in some manner their knowledge of everything regarding diseases and healing; etiology, the classification of pains or illness, its therapy, as well as its relation to social, supernatural and the physical environment in general. Some final remarles are made for further research both in synchronic, as well as in diachronic perspectives.