ES Joya Ceren 05 2012 Estructura 9 Area 2 Tamazcal 1478

A temazcal is a type of sweat lodge, which originated with indigenous peoples in

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...

. The term ''temazcal'' comes from the

Nahuatl Nahuatl ( ; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahuas, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller popul ...

language, either from the words (to bathe) and (house), or from the word (house of heat).

Overview

In ancient Mesoamerica it was used as part of a curative ceremony thought to purify the body after exertion such as after a battle or a ceremonial ball game. It was also used for healing the sick, improving health, and for women to give birth. It continues to be used today in Indigenous cultures of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

that were part of the ancient Mesoamerican region for spiritual healing and health enrichment reasons. The temazcal is usually a permanent structure, unlike sweat lodges of other regions. It has various construction styles differing by region: from volcanic rock and

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

, adobe mud bricks, even wood, mud, and cloth can be utilized. It may be a circular dome made to represent the uterus, although rectangular ones have been found at certain archeological sites and this shape is also used. To produce steam, water is poured over heated volcanic stones, which will not crack and explode like other rocks in confined high temperature areas. The stones may be heated with fire from an outside port or placed in a pit located in the center or near a wall of the temazcal.

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External links

Article on Temazcal
(in English) * {{Native american styles Aztec society Bathing Indigenous architecture Ritual purification Sauna Culture of Mexico

Overview

See also

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External links