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Oaxacan Landraces the people the history the plants entheogens

acespicoli

Well-known member
Oaxacan Landraces the land the people the history the plants



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“I am wise even from within the womb of my mother. I am the woman of the winds, of the water, of the paths, because I am known in heaven, because I am a doctor woman.”

– María Sabina Magdalena García

María Sabina was a Mazatec sabia (“one who knows”) or curandera (medicine woman), who lived in Huautla de Jiménez, a town in the Sierra Mazateca area of the Mexican state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. She spent her entire life in that small village up in the mountains and worked the land
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María Sabina



Mar 17 (Jul 22), 1894 - Nov 22, 1985
Summary
María Sabina was the Mazatec curandera from Oaxaca, Mexico who encountered R. Gordon Wasson on his trip to Mexico in 1955. On June 19th, 1955 she introduced him to psilocybin mushrooms during a healing ceremony. He became the first Westerner to experience the effects of these psychedelic fungi, followed shortly thereafter by Valentina Wasson. Wasson wrote about his experience with María and the psilocybin mushrooms in an article for Life Magazine in 1957.

In the Life Magazine article, Wasson referred to María Sabina as "Eva Mendez" in an attempt to protect her privacy, but the attempt failed. Over the coming years, María Sabina was inundated with visitors from the United States. The onslaught of "young people with long hair who came in search of God" disrupted her village and led to her arrest on more than one occasion by local federales. She sometimes turned visitors away, and sometimes introduced them to the mushrooms they sought, occasionally charging a fee, and often not.

María Sabina died in 1985 at the age of 91.
Books
Writings & Info
Links


María Sabina is regarded as a sacred figure in Huautla and considered one of Mexico’s greatest poets.
She did not take credit for her poetry; the mushrooms spoke through her:

Codex Vindobonensis Mexicanus
Pictographic representation of the first dawn

Cure yourself with the light of the sun and the rays of the moon.
With the sound of the river and the waterfall.
With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds.

Heal yourself with mint, with neem and eucalyptus.

Sweeten yourself with lavender, rosemary, and chamomile.

Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a touch of cinnamon.

Put love in tea instead of sugar, and take it looking at the stars.

Heal yourself with the kisses that the wind gives you and the hugs of the rain.

Get strong with bare feet on the ground and with everything that is born from it.

Get smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with the eye of your forehead.

Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier.

Heal yourself, with beautiful love, and always remember: you are the medicine.




Guilá Naquitz Cave in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the site of early domestication of several food crops, including teosinte (an ancestor of maize),[1] squash from the genus Cucurbita, bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria), and beans.[2][3][4][5] This site is the location of the earliest known evidence for domestication of any crop on the continent, Cucurbita pepo, as well as the earliest known domestication of maize.[6]

Macrofossil evidence for both crops is present in the cave. However, in the case of maize, pollen studies and geographical distribution of modern maize suggests that maize was domesticated in another region of Mexico.[7]
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Oaxacan Green Corn Seed Emerald green kernels for cornmeal Dent Corn​

Mole Verde Recipe of Esperanza Chavarría Blando (reproduced with permission of her estate)
is a nationally renowned Oaxacan chef

Puebla is generally regarded as the birthplace of mole but Oaxaca has claimed seven mole babies as its own: rojo, coloradito, amarillo, verde, negro, chichilo, and manchamantel.

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message me if youd like to borrow this great cookbook




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Photo by Kagyu
 

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acespicoli

Well-known member



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Photo of Lydia Carey

Lydia Carey
19 May 2020
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The Zapoteco and Mixteca peoples of Oaxaca built and lived in the cities and religious centers of the Valley of Oaxaca until the time of the Spanish colonization, which led to the destruction of many beautiful structures and important monuments. But there are still lots of site where you can learn a little history and take a step back to the times when these indigenous groups inhabited the area. We always suggest you hire a local guide, especially in places with little tourism infrastructure, that way you can help the local economy.
https://www.theculturetrip.com/trips/

Monte Alban​

Archaeological site, Ruins


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Monte Alban  is a large pre-Columbian Zapotec archaeological site in Xoxocotlan area of Oaxaca Mexico

© Barna Tanko / Alamy Stock Photo
Twenty minutes outside Oaxaca City are the ruins of Monte Alban one of the most important cultural centers of the Zapoteco people from around 500 BC to 750AD. The ruins are breathtakingly laid out atop a hill and while you don’t get the thrill of climbing to sky like in Teochtilan, the horizonal views are stunning and the setting green and lush. The museum on site will give you a good background on the city and its inhabitants but hiring a local guide to show you around is even better.
https://www.theculturetrip.com/trips/

Zaachila​


Zaachila is located 30 minutes outside of Oaxaca City and many of its structures have yet to be excavated as they lie beneath residents’ houses. There have been several caves discovered here though with interesting Zapoteco symbols in them. Zaachila was the last Zapeteco capital in Oaxaca after Monte Alban fell and every year in July residents come together at the site to honor the corn goddess with parades, dances and food.

Zaachila, Oaxaca, Mexico

Mitla​

Oaxaca’s second most important pre-Colombian ruins in the state, Mitla was the religious center for the Zapoteco people was believed to be a gateway place between the living and the dead. This city’s claim to fame is its geometrically perfect wall mosaics created by stone pieces that fit together so tightly no mortar is needed. The Zapoteco people inhabited Mitla until around 1000AD when they were kicked out by the Mixtecas who then had control over the city until the Spanish destroyed it in 1553.
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Mitla │ | © Richard Well / flickr

Casa de la Cacica​

Part of the chiefdom of Teposcolula, one of the Mixteca states at the time the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the Casa de la Cacica are the remnants of part of the religious and administrative buildings of the chiefdom that were moved from their original pre-hispanic location on top of the Yucundaa hill. The building was then constructed to incorporate both indigenous and Spanish elements and is believed to date back to 1550.

Yucuita​

Yucuita was a small Mixteca village dedicated to agriculture and the obsidian trade. This archeological site is one of the oldest and longest inhabited in Mexico and has therefore been the object of lots of study about the Mixteca people. There are two complexes to visit here, one that housed residents and one that served as a ceremonial center. The site is also known for the quantity of painted ceramics found in the area.

Yagul​

Yagul, sometimes spelled Yugul by neighbors, is the ruins of a town that dates back to 3000AD. It was one of the places many residents came after the fall of Monte Alban and has at least half a dozen structures to tour around including a tomb decorated with stone reliefs. Nearby are cave paintings believed to have been created by some of the earliest nomadic residents of the Valley of Oaxaca.
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Yagul │ | © Kevin Dooley / flickr

Huamelulpan​

The name Haumelulpan means Flying Hill – the city was built on a hill with terraced sides. Here you will see massive, level, terraced platforms, with a formal drainage system built into them. Some of these platforms served as the base of pyramids or the homes of the elite. The city had residents during three different periods of time that spanned from 400BC to 600AD.

Dainzú​

Dainzú is another Oaxacan archeological site that has been built into the hills around it. It was inhabited at the same time as Monte Alban but is believed to be older. There are a series of stone reliefs on one building that depict ancient ball players and other structures that include residences, religious centers and a ball court. It’s believed to have had residents from 750BC to 1200AD.
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Dianzú │ | © Gallo de Oro Oaxaca / flickr

Guiengola​

This archeological site in the southeast part of Oaxaca state is thought to have been a grand fortress. The city was built in such a way as to be difficult to attack and its therefore believed that various indigenous tribes lived there at different times. Archeological evidence points to it being the site of a battle between the Mixtecas and Zapotecas. They believe the city was inhabited until 1350AD.

Lambityeco​

This Oaxacan archeological site is well known for the intricate and beautiful art found here, in particular figureheads of the god Cocijo , one of the most important of the pantheon of deities worshiped by the Zapotec people. This site is unusual in that instead of an agricultural economy like most neighboring Zapoteca towns, Lambityeco was famous as a center for the cultivation and sale of salt.

San José el Mogote​

One of the oldest settlements in the Valley of Oaxaca, San Jose el Mogote predates the city of Monte Alban and is believed to be one of the first settlements to create pottery in the area. Because this site has been extensively studied by archeologists from a US University there happens to be quite a bit of information about this Zapoteca settlement in English.


Feel free to add any material that accents the Oaxacan Vibes :huggy:
 
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elchischas

Well-known member
Veteran
Hiya buddy - Oaxacan 12 finger beans, beautiful seeds :) - IIRC 8 F / 5 M, only 2 males used due to herm issues on other 3, we do the best we can with what we have :tiphat:

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I'm really happy that you still get a bunch of that one.
I realize that 12 fingers can get so much better grow and performance at outdoors specially the warm one. The first time the plants reach 7 meters tall on pure soil.
 

acespicoli

Well-known member

In the dusty hills of Oaxaca, Mexico, not much grows well besides the prickly agave plant. For generations, families in isolated towns like Santa Ana del Rio have transformed the plant into a local speciality: mezcal. But despite a mastery of the craft, it’s been hard for mezcaleros to make ends meet. Heifer Mexico is partnering with wine and spirit company Pernod Ricard to provide families in Santa Ana with the connections and resources they need to be successful.
In Mexico’s state of Oaxaca, there’s a saying that everyone knows: “Para todo mal, mezcal. Y para todo bien, tambien.” For everything bad, mezcal. And for everything good, too. It’s recited theatrically, with a wry smile and pregnant pauses before the last words of each sentence.
A smiling man holds a small plant in a pot.

Ciro Rodriguez Cruz holds an agave plant in his home in Santa Ana del Rio. Photo by Russ Powell.
The saying encapsulates how far-reaching mezcal is in the region. It’s Oaxaca’s spirit of choice, and it’s almost mandatory that when you enjoy it, you share it with a friend, family member or maybe just the person in closest proximity. But mezcal’s not only for drinking; it’s also used in folk remedies, ranging from breaking fevers to treating arthritis pain.
Mezcal is also the lone economic anchor for villages like Santa Ana del Rio, located in the arid foothills of Oaxaca’s Sierra Juarez. In general, mezcal-producing communities struggle with high levels of poverty and emigration because opportunities are limited and profiting from the sale of mezcal can be challenging. Heifer Mexico, in partnership with wine and spirit giant Pernod Ricard, is working to change the situation in Santa Ana and soon in other villages.
“It’s a hot, dry area,” said Ciro Rodriguez Cruz, a lifelong resident of Santa Ana. “In times when there is an abundance of water, we can harvest corn, beans. But when it doesn’t rain much, it’s lost.”
One of the few things that grows exceptionally well in Santa Ana’s climate is the agave plant. Mezcal, like its more famous relative tequila, is distilled from agave. Nearly all of the 100 or so families in Santa Ana depend on mezcal,and therefore on agave.

Know Your Agave​

Mezcal is made from fermented agave plants, similar to the process for tequila. But where tequila is only made from blue agave plants, mezcal can be produced from about 30 varieties of agave. The most common is espadin, which means “sword” in Spanish because the plant is particularly pointy. Espadin is one of the few domesticated varieties, and it takes seven years to grow for harvest. Wild agave varieties take longer to mature and are more work to harvest. Since they’re rarer and the flavor is generally more coveted, the price reflects that. The largest variety of wild agave around Santa Ana, tepeztate, needs 25 years of growth before it can be cut and fermented. The other common wild agave plants found in Santa Ana, tobala and jabali, take 12-15 and 18-20 years respectively to harvest.
In the past, producing mezcal didn’t guarantee a living wage in Santa Ana. “We would look for someone to buy the mezcal,” said Eliazar Rodriguez Luis, the son of Ciro Rodriguez. Mezcalerosin the community traveled, samples in hand, to coyotes—middlemen—who offered whatever prices they wanted. Not knowing the exact value of the mezcal, the Rodriguezes and other producers usually agreed.
In 2017, Pernod Ricard scouted the area, looking for a community of mezcal producers to supplement their highly touted Del Maguey brand. Santa Ana del Rio seemed like a good fit, and after a town hall meeting, residents agreed to work with Pernod Ricard. But the bottom line wasn’t the company’s only motivation for working in the area.
Agave farmers brave the steep countryside to suvey their plants.

Agave farmers brave the steep countryside to survey their plants. Photo by Russ Powell.
“We saw a big opportunity with mezcal,” said Diego Cantu Luengas, liaison manager for Pernod Ricard. “Because mezcal is made mainly in isolated rural villages, they live in very vulnerable conditions. These conditions are something we can do something about.”
A man smiles sofly while holding a bundle of agave.

Eliazar Rodriguez Luis, after harvesting agave. Photo by Russell Powell.
Pernod Ricard formed a partnership with Heifer Mexico to work with mezcal-producing families to not only improve incomes but also the nutrition of children and issues of gender disparity. The hope is to use the experience in Santa Ana as a launching point to replicate the project in other communities.
Although the pilot project is still new, results are positive. The Rodriguezes used to sell 400 liters of mezcal a year. In the last year, they have sold closer to 1,000. Prices have also doubled, partially because mezcal’s popularity has skyrocketed in Mexico and the United States in recent years. But Santa Ana mezcaleros also now know how much their mezcal is worth and can negotiate prices more effectively. And Pernod Ricard has helped the farmers understand what types of mezcal sell the best.
Before, we looked for someone to buy the mezcal. Now they look for us. Eliazar Rodriguez, mezcal producer
“Before, we looked for someone to buy the mezcal,” Eliazar Rodriguez said. “Now they look for us.”
A Spirited Tradition
Ciro Rodriguez, 62, spends the morning with two of his three sons, harvesting agave plants under the fierce Oaxacan sun. It’s backbreaking work to uproot a plant that can weigh upwards of 200 pounds, and the agave’s spiny teeth are unforgiving. But the Rodriguez trio are no novices. After taking a machete to the rigid leaves, they split the agave hearts, or piñas, and load them in the back of a pickup truck.
Via the one lonely road that crosses through Santa Ana, the Rodriguezes deposit the piñas in an earthen pit lined with large stones atop the smokiest of smoldering fires. This is the first step of the mezcal-making process at the open-air palenque, or distillery. The pit will be covered with a natural tarp and dirt, then the heated stones will cook the piña pieces for about eight days.
Two people stack rocks into a large fire pit taht will be used to cook the agave.

Toribio and Federico Molina stack rocks in a fire pit that will be used to cook the agave. Photo by Russ Powell.
After the pit is uncovered, a donkey is used to roll a tauna, a thick stone as tall as a toddler, over the cooked agave to aid the fermentation process. Then, after a week or two of fermentation, the mezcal is distilled twice before it’s ready to drink.
This process remains largely unchanged from hundreds of years ago, in contrast to tequila, which industrialized quickly as it became popular. “Everything from the mezcal comes naturally,” Ciro Rodriguez said.
Generations of knowledge passed down from family to family leaves mezcaleros with the ability to navigate the drink's sensitivities with ease.
Each part of the process, starting with how the agave grew and what variety was harvested, changes the flavor of the mezcal, which gives the beverage a complex flavor. Luckily, generations of knowledge passed down from family to family leaves mezcaleros with the ability to navigate the drink’s sensitivities with ease.
A man uses a donkey to pull the sauna, smashing the cooked agave.

Leonardo Hernandez Rodriguez uses a donkey to pull the sauna, smashing the cooked agave. Photo by Russ Powell.
All three of Ciro Rodriguez’s sons know how to make a good mezcal because of their father, but only two of them practice the art. Before Heifer and Pernod Ricard came to Santa Ana, mezcal production simply wasn’t lucrative enough to keep families afloat. One of Ciro Rodriguez’s sons left for the United States years ago and works in a restaurant in Colorado.

The Donkey Sanctuary​

Donkeys are critical to the success of mezcaleros in Oaxaca. They carry harvested agave from field to palenque, and they pull the stone tauna to help ready the agave for distillation. The strenuous work and harsh conditions can be hard on the animals. Heifer Mexico is partnering with The Donkey Sanctuary to ensure the animals have the best care and are properly vaccinated. The Donkey Sanctuary is a U.K.-based animal welfare organization that helps about 1.8 million donkeys and mules in 35 countries. The organizations are also working together to develop more comfortable and efficient harnesses for the donkeys to use with the tauna.
“Before, there was not a lot of work here,” Ciro Rodriguez said. “Well, there was work. But the salary didn’t provide. It wasn’t enough.”
It’s a familiar refrain in Santa Ana, a community marked by high emigration rates. Heifer Mexico is working to change that by ensuring families earn a living wage and thus have the opportunity to stay together.
“He wants to come back. This year, he wants to come back. ‘It’s not like being with family,’ he says. It’s not the same. He’s alone—well, he has friends, he has family members, but it’s not the same.”
Tough Mothers
The life of a mezcalero is marked by long hours, strained muscles and agave-induced wounds. “It’s hard,” said Alexandro Gil Molina. “Not every person can do it.” Sitting next to him, wife Yolanda Hernandez gives him the side eye. “Maybe,” she said dubiously. It’s a subtle sign that things are changing in Santa Ana.
A couple stands, smiling, with the woman holding a young girl, and the man holding a container of agave seedlings.

Yolanda Hernandez, Alexandro Gil and their daughter, Hanna Gil Hernandez, pose with their agave seedlings. Photo by Russ Powell.
Traditionally in rural Oaxaca, mezcal production is thought of as a man’s job, an occupation too grueling for women. Through the project, women are changing that misconception.
“The mezcal-producing communities in Oaxaca and in general in Mexico have little participation among women,” said Rosario Lopez, Heifer Mexico project manager. During her visits to Santa Ana, Lopez takes every opportunity to join the men in splitting piñas with a machete or unearthing roasted agave with a shovel.
At the beginning of the project, many of the women in Santa Ana visited other regions of Oaxaca where women participate in the production of mezcal. They learned how to make agave syrup and marmalades from mezcal byproducts. The syrup in particular earns more per liter than some varieties of mezcal.
Heifer Mexico also gave women the seeds and tools to grow agave seedlings. “No women planted maguey [agave] before,” said Hernandez. “Now? The majority of women maybe.”
In years past, there weren’t enough agave plants to sow every year, which is a big deal when it takes 5 to 7 years, minimum, to harvest. Farmers would buy plants from outside the community to fill the void, but in addition to costing money, the plants often came with unwanted pests. Homegrown agaves are more economical and healthier.
“This is the first step,” Lopez said. The second step is to install a field school for a demonstration palenque so they can learn the process of distillation and make mezcal themselves. It would be the first time in the community that women are making the spirit.
The hard-working women of Santa Ana are juggling other ventures as well. Each received 100 laying hens from Heifer Mexico at the start of the project. In late 2017, women in the community formed a group to better leverage their product.
“We saw we had too many eggs,” said Rubi Luis Rodriguez, one of the group members. “It was a lot of eggs, and trying to sell them [ourselves] outside the community—it was too much. So Heifer helped look for a client, and an opportunity was born.”
A young woman displays a green fabric she has made, with more hand made clothes on the bed beside her.

Rubi Violeta Rodriguez displays some of the clothing she has made. Photo by Russ Powell.
Now, every week the group sells their eggs to national restaurant chain Toks. Each of the chain’s 224 restaurants needs 500 eggs daily, so there is a constant demand for the group’s product.
Luis also co-founded a group of 24 women that sell handmade clothing. Heifer is supporting the group with a sewing machine and technical support. In the future, the group is hoping to develop a strong brand to sell their garments well outside Santa Ana. “What we want is not just to sell to people who sell to foreigners,” Luis said. “We know [our clothes] are well made and can’t be copied.”
Perhaps the next group of entrepreneurial Santa Ana women will be focused on mezcal production.
“I would like to learn more about the area of distillation, yes,” said Hernandez. “Because there are a lot of steps to get to a good mezcal.
“It’s not like they say, that because you’re a man or a woman you can’t do certain things. Everyone can do the same.”


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Pyramid of the sun, moon, and the serpent ^


Found some local artists on etsy that make some hand crafted pottery

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mezcal vs tequila what's the difference?
Here's where the two diverge:
Tequila is made by cooking piña in ovens, then shredding and fermenting it before distilling it in copper pots.

Mezcal, on the other hand, is made by cooking the piña inside an underground pit that's lined with a combination of volcanic rocks, wood, and charcoal, says Chiklis

What are the types of mezcal?​

There are also different types of mezcal based on how long the particular variety of mezcal is aged. You will always see either mezcal joven, mezcal reposado or mezcal añejo printed on your bottle of mezcal, and here’s what they mean:

  • Joven mezcal: Aged for less than two months.
  • Reposado mezcal: Aged between two months to one year.
  • Anejo mezcal: Aged mezcals, which must sit for one year or longer.





Also some wonderful textiles handmade on looms in Oaxaca

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For every pack of agave seeds you buy,

we will donate four packs of agave seeds to a worthy agave farmer in rural Mexico

 
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byathread

New member
Oaxaca is very very high on my list of future travel destinations. It is an incredibly unique and diverse state in one of the most unique and diverse countries in the world. I've been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to travel to Tamaulipas, Yucatan, Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Baja California Sur over the years and have many fond memories of the peoples, food and culture there. I have so much love and respect for the diverse and generous people of Mexico. Such incredibly deep roots! Let us all do what we can to preserve and honor what is left!
 

ledo

Chasing the Present
I'm really happy that you still get a bunch of that one.
I realize that 12 fingers can get so much better grow and performance at outdoors specially the warm one. The first time the plants reach 7 meters tall on pure soil.
I need to circle back & dig in them, just been so busy with too many others but it’s a project, on a list of many I want to get to soon… It’s a beautiful cultivar indeed :tiphat:
 

acespicoli

Well-known member
I think this video should hold a place here as we honor the plants and the customs



In Peru's Amazon region, there lives a type of shaman known as the ayahuasceros who utilizes native plants and ritual songs to induce a trance-like state. These shamans are revered for their healing powers, and ability to commune with the gods. The Songs The Plants Taught Us documents authentic ayahuasceros healing sessions, and their hypnotic icaros (or magical songs). Recorded live in the field by Eduardo Luna.

This is how I imagine a Oaxaca healing session

Mushroom Healing Quotes

by Maria Sabina




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It's that in me there is no sorcery, there is no anger, there are no lies. Because I don't have garbage, I don't have dust. The sickness comes out if the sick vomit. They vomit the sickness. They vomit because the mushrooms want them to. If the sick don't vomit, I vomit. I vomit for them and in that way the malady is expelled. The mushrooms have power because they are the flesh of God. And those that believe are healed. Those that do not believe are not healed.

[....] I have cured many children. Sometimes I give the children a little bit of Little-One-Who-Springs-Forth. I vomit for the children if they don't. Before beginning the vigil I ask the name of the sick person. In that way I search for the sickness and in that way I cure. If the sick person doesn't tell me the cause of his or her malady I divine it. When the sick person sweats, that reveals that he or she is going to be healed. Sweat gets rid of the fever that comes from the sickness. My words oblige the evil to leave.

For a strong toothache seven or eight pairs are eaten, that is enough. The children are taken at night; the vigil is celebrated in front of images of the saints of the Church. The saint children cure the sores, the wounds of the spirit. The spirit is what gets sick. The Curers don't know that the visions the children show reveal the origin of the malady. The Curers don't know how to use them. The Sorcerers don't either. [....] The mushrooms give me the power of universal contemplation. I can see from the origin. I can arrive where the world is born.

[....] I am not a Curer because I do not use eggs to cure. I don't ask for powers from the Lords of the Mountains. I am not a Curer because I do not give potions of strange herbs to drink. I cure with Language. Nothing else. I am a Wise Woman. Nothing else.

[....] I am wise even from within the womb of my mother. I am the woman of the winds, of the water, of the paths, because I am known in heaven, because I am a doctor woman.

I take Little-One-Who-Springs-Forth and I see God. I see him sprout from the earth. He grows and grows, big as a tree, as a mountain. His face is placid, beautiful, serene as in the temples. At other times, God is not like a man: he is the Book. A Book that is born from the earth, a sacred Book whose birth makes the world shake. It is the Book of God that speaks to me in order for me to speak. It counsels me, it teaches me, it tells me what I have to say to men, to the sick, to life. The Book appears and I learn new words.

I am the daughter of God and elected to be wise. On the altar that I have in my house is the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I have her in a niche. And I have Saint Mark, Saint Martin Horseman, and Saint Magdalene. They help me to cure and to speak. In the vigils I clap and whistle; at that time I am transformed into God.

-- Maria Sabina Vault

I stop to think and give thanks to the
people and the plants that have lived in perfect harmony
The human cared for the plants to make them thrive
and the plants nourished us in return
my wish one day is our earth returns to that lifestyle.
Away from an industrial world

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As I start some peppers tomatoes and tomatillos this is my latest joy
Thought I would share them with you! :huggy:

The name Malinalco comes from the Nahuatl “malinalli” = a kind of grass (called zacate del carbonero in Spanish), “xóchitl” = flower; and “co = place of , which translates (more or less) to “where they worship the goddess Malinalxóchitl, the malinalli flower”.
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María Sabina was an important healer who knew how to use hallucinogenic mushrooms to heal. She lived in Mexico. She did not know how to read or write. She didn't speak Spanish either. She was indigenous Mazatec, and that was her language. In Mazatec the word book does not exist. She didn't write her story. She didn't even tell her first hand, since she was translated into Spanish for foreigners and Mexicans interested in her power and knowledge. It is important to clarify that the life of María Sabina is reported and recorded by others. Her story, what she lived and what she knew, belongs to a language that we do not understand or speak.

Development of the craft in Oaxaca​

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