Rituales para la protección de animales domésticos en los solares de Yaxcabá y Yaxunah, Yucatán, México

• Published in: Estudios de cultura maya 2022-02, Vol.59, p.191-216
• Main Authors: Heredia Campos, Elma Beatriz, Cahuich Campos, Diana del Rosario, Terán y Contreras, Olga Silvia, Mariaca Méndez, Ramón
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0185-2574; 2448-5179
• DOI: 10.19130/iifl.ecm.59.22X877

The objective of this work is to identify the rituals related for the protection of domestic animals raised on the Mayan “solares” of Yaxcabá and Yaxunah, Yucatán, Mexico. On the “solar” are especially raised domestic animals (chickens, turkeys and pigs), which are an important element for peasant families, because they are part of economy, their daily food, in the festivities, ceremonies and rituals to give continuity to family and communal life. Our results show that the Catholic families of Yaxcabá an Yaxunah continue to perform ceremonies such as k’eex loj, the loj, the jets’ lu’um and primicia de saka’ (sacred corn drink), the purpose of these ceremonies is to ask permission and to thank the “owners” of nature for the use that is made of the resources, which favors a relationship of balance with them, in this way the “Owners” will take care of entire “solar” and the inhabitants of this space, the family members and the animals raised are safeguarded from the “malos vientos” or k'as k'aas íik', causing disease and calamities. This study highlights the vision of the world that persists in the peninsular Mayan communities, biocultural knowledge and practices are preserved that show the ways of relating to nature. The knowledge about the rituals of the owners of the site and a ritual specialist, called a spiritualist, is analyzed.