Category: History

History

Xochipilli : Chapter 3 : Xochipilli and Homosexuality : Part 2

Xochipilli is so intimately linked with another deity, Xochiquetzal, that they are sometimes conflated into one being. This brings up some interesting questions into the nature of transgender behaviour and hermaphroditism (1). These are interesting questions but as neither of these necessarily has to involve homosexuality I will not delve into either in any particular detail in this Post. This is a conversation to be … Continue reading Xochipilli : Chapter 3 : Xochipilli and Homosexuality : Part 2

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History

Xochipilli : Chapter 3 : Xochipilli and Homosexuality : Part 1

This has become a larger project than I initially imagined it might be. There is more than enough information available for this exploration to become the basis for a thesis. To make it easier to write (and read) I’ll break this chapter into two parts. In Part 2 I will delve into the relationship between Xochipilli and Xochiquetzal. I expect this will be a more … Continue reading Xochipilli : Chapter 3 : Xochipilli and Homosexuality : Part 1

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Herbs, History

New(ish) Additions to the Poreleaf Family.

Porophyllum spathulatum (Asteraceae: Tageteae), a new species from the southern Brazilian coast. It is known to occur only in Balneário Hermenegildo, Santa Vitória do Palmar, Rio Grande do Sul, southernmost Brazil. This plant is considered “critically endangered” (Carniero etal 2014). As of 2014 the entire population of this plant was known to be composed of only 21 individuals. This species of poreleaf differs from its … Continue reading New(ish) Additions to the Poreleaf Family.

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Herbs, History, Native Plants

Xochipilli : Chapter 2 : New Floral Identifications

The Aztec universe has been poorly represented and even less eloquently articulated. This is in some way to be expected as our understanding of this universe has been in many ways limited by the existing written sources that describe this universe. These sources were, by and large, written by the very peoples who destroyed the culture they were inadequately attempting to describe and were also … Continue reading Xochipilli : Chapter 2 : New Floral Identifications

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Herbs, History, Native Plants

Cuetlaxochitl : The Poinsettia

Also Known As: Flor de Noche Buena, Euphoribia, Spurge Root, Snake Root, Asthma Plant, Christmas flower, Easter flower, Lobster flower, Mexican flame leaf, Mexican flame tree Euphorbia pulcherrima : Euphorbia – late Middle English: from Latin euphorbea, named after Euphorbus, Greek physician to the reputed discoverer of the plant, Juba II of Mauretania (1st century BC) and pulcherrima – the “most beautiful” or “beautiful treasure” … Continue reading Cuetlaxochitl : The Poinsettia

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Curanderismo, Herbs, History

Acocoxochitl : The Dahlia

acocoxochitl : (Nahuatl) “flower of hollow stems with water” – atl (water), cocotli (tube) and xochitl (flower) also called Chichipatli : (Nahuatl) “bitter medicine” – chichic (bitter) and patli (medicine) (1) an alternative translation is “dog medicine” chi (dog) and patli (medicine/medicinal herb) (Bye 1986) (Simeon 1984). It is sometimes said that chichimeca people are called “dog” people (although it is likely closer in translation … Continue reading Acocoxochitl : The Dahlia

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Curanderismo, History

Aztec Gods or States of Consciousness?

I have previously written of the mythology (1) of various Aztec deities (2) and even the origin of the word Aztec or if there was even a people known as the Aztecs (3). I recently came across a video regarding Dia de muertos (4) that has convoluted the issue even more. It seems that even amongst those knowledgeable of such things there is even more … Continue reading Aztec Gods or States of Consciousness?

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History, Native Plants

Environmentally Friendly Paint from the Nopal Cactus

The nopal, much like the maguey, plays a pivotal role in the history of Mexico. Not only used as both food (1) and medicine both plants have a space in the creation legends of Mexico and both have multiple cultural usages. for both humans and livestock For many generations prior to the arrival of the Spanish the Mexican people made a durable and environmentally friendly … Continue reading Environmentally Friendly Paint from the Nopal Cactus

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History, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Pulque Curado : Sangre de Conejo (Rabbits Blood)

The rabbit holds a special place in the mythological landscape of México. It plays a part in both the legend of the moon (1) and in the creation of pulque. The moon is itself represented in various codices by the image of a jar of pulque, the rabbit was used as a measuring stick of drunkenness (2) and the saying “Ye iuhqui itoch” (Such is … Continue reading Pulque Curado : Sangre de Conejo (Rabbits Blood)

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