Historical Medicinal Practices of the Aztec Empire
By Emily Hupp
To fully understand and appreciate the medical
practices of the Aztec Empire we must time travel
to a time that is unfamiliar to citizens of the 21st
century. We must go back so that we may become
more knowledgeable about a society that practiced
medicine and health much differently that what
we see in hospitals and clinics nowadays. We must
shed our preconceptions about healthcare so the
wonders of Aztec medicine can be fully
understood. First, the mindset of Aztec society
must be explained, specifically how medical
practices were closely tied in with religious beliefs.
From there, we can take a closer look at various
causes of illness, ranging from natural to
supernatural. Finally, we will see the different
types of cures used to solve medical problems,
and how the healing process was tied in with a
much bigger cosmic picture of the world. The
practices may be unfamiliar and different, but the
overall goal is the same as it is today, to find
balance in the world and live a healthy fulfilling
life.
If we were to step back into the preColumbian Aztec world what we would find is a
very powerful society that had a structured
government, organized religion, laws, taxes and
an influential army, which isn’t unlike many
societies that are alive today (Ortiz 9). The
intricate cultures that flourished in Mesoamerica,
including the Aztecs were all influenced and
driven by their desire to find balance in the world,
and to pay respects to the creators that brought
them to life. Everything known about
Mesoamerica “…shows that religious ideas…were
not only mental activities, but rather tied up with
daily work, trade, social order, and warfare”
(Carrasco 30). This religious influence of everyday
life also affects the way Aztecs viewed healing and
medical practices. Religion wasn’t separable from
any aspect of life because it was the underlying
power that fueled absolutely everything. Illness for
the Aztecs was viewed as a combination of
natural, supernatural and magical causes (Ortiz 3).
Anything that happened to a person concerning
their health wasn’t linked to something purely
medical. It was seen to be part of a larger cosmic
view of the world. The Aztecs believed that the
human body was tied in to the world around and
that it “…paralleled the structure and organization
of the universe” (Ortiz 36). Aztecs believed that
the balance between the human body and the
universe had to be maintained.
It is the imbalance between a human and
the universe that was seen to be the root behind
physical ailments. In some cases illness “…was
seen as a divine punishment provoked by a
disturbance of the cosmic balance…failure of the
sick to conform to the natural order…” (Brelet 6).
When Aztecs dealt with illnesses it was seen to be
a holistic complex problem that was not just a
natural or supernatural problem, but a
combination of the two. It would start with a
supernatural influence which would then manifest
into a physical ailment. One example would be
“…failure to abstain from sex during festivals
dedicated to Xochipillli-Maxuilxochitl (gods of
spring, sex, love, and dance) gave the offenders
hemorrhoids or diseases of the sexual organs”
(Ortiz 131). These participants angered those
particular gods, causing the gods to punish then
with a physical problem. Respect towards the
deities wasn’t maintained, and thus punishment
was received. Other health issues could arise due
to problems afflicting one’s “tonalli”, which
Carrasco describes as the animating force or soul
that gave humans the vigor and energy for growth
and development (Carrasoco 53). If a person
were to drink excessive amounts of pulque
(fermented agave sap) their tonalli would decrease
which was seen as “…a danger to both health and
morals” (Ortiz 59). Being drunk impairs one’s
ability to control themselves, which is as true back
then as it is today. The Aztecs believed that
excessive drunkenness made one’s tonalli more
susceptible to supernatural influences and
possession. Illnesses could also be related to a
specific deity and their domain. Tlaloc, the rain
god would be the cause of illnesses related to rain,
water and cold (Ortiz 33). Physical afflictions
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