Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.

Curandera Do'a Mariana chants while controlling your body with the laying of water over hot rock, as the mysterious meandering of a range of herbal bouquets peaks the olfactory sense. Traditional healer, or pleasing dominatrix? She methodically swats almost every inch of your torso, and each limb, with varying degrees of assertiveness and pressure, yet ever so gently so as to reassure you of her command over process and purpose: relaxation, rejuvenation and healing: ?Qu? salga el mal; qu? entre el bien,? she cajoles. Out with the bad; in with the good.

Mariana Emilia Arroyo Cabrera is a temazcalera, expert in the ancient pre-Hispanic science and ceremony of temazcal. The heart of temazcal is entry into a dark chamber filled with steam and select aromatic plants and herbs, and being carefully guided through ritual stages by one who has learned function, effect and procedure through years of training.

Temazcal is akin to the Iroquois sweat lodge of which many of us have heard and read in the course of our childhood education into the disappearing cultures of the original inhabitants of our homeland, our First Nations. Who would have thought that we could ever have such a first-hand experience during modern times? One of the treasures for visitors to, and in my case residents of, Oaxaca.

Do'a Mariana's pedigree dates to the knowledge of curative plants and uses of the temazcal she gained from her Zapoteca grandmother, supplemented by thirty years of training and experience as a nurse in Oaxaca. Zapotec is one of 16 indigenous cultures still thriving today in the state of Oaxaca. It is one of several which count temazcal as an important method for healing through sweat and herbal medicine.

Sweating has long been known in many societies as being both therapeutic and healing. Hippocrates once said: ?Give me a fever and I can cure any disease.? It is known to remove toxins. Many viral agents and bacteria cannot survive at much above normal body temperature, so when we sweat we can literally rid ourselves of some illnesses. Important endocrine glands are stimulated by an inner rise in temperature, with impurities in many body organs being flushed out as capillaries dilate and the heart increases its pace to keep up with the demand for blood. And in a sweat bath where rocks are heated and water is poured over them, an abundance of negative ions is released into the air, combating fatigue and tenseness.*

Do'a Mariana uses 15 plants and herbs in the course of conducting a temazcal. Eucalyptus, rosemary and basil predominate. The grounds of her home are her pharmacy. A walk from the entranceway to the lodge and massage rooms takes us through an impressive garden of bushes, trees, herbs and grasses, with flowering plants and butterflies most striking. As I stroll I recall Dorothy awakening in Munchkinland and opening her eyes for the first time.

My wife and I are ever so methodically taken through the steps in advance, with an explanation of what to expect in terms of the control of temperature and vapor, the use of fragrant herbs and branches, and what will follow after exiting the temazcal in preparation for the massage stage of the experience. Our healer provides us with assurances both before and in the course of the temazcal that she is in careful control of our bodies and minds, allaying any preconceived concerns or stressors one might encounter as levels of temperature and steam increase.

Draped in a cotton sheet, seated with only your partner and the curandera, eyes closed to the blackness of the small, low-roofed thatched hut, quiet words in Spanish and in an indigenous tongue, deliberate chants, as well as sweet song, while your body is being patted and rubbed with leafy twigs. Surges of different herbal scents sweep in front of you, reminiscent of waves of heat encountered while slowly paddling down a tropical lagoon. ?Qu? salga el mal; qu? entre el bien.?

Then in Spanish, while floating into a native past I'm now coming to better understand and appreciate, while being cleansed, that welcomed relaxation taking over my soul: ?In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit.? It's one of several incongruities here in Oaxaca, as between the pride in, and ongoing cultural traditions of indigenous populations, and then the knowledge of the destruction heaped upon the populace by the conquest, and The Church.

The Spanish tried to destroy the temazcal tradition because of its association with worship of deities. It survives, with most aspects of the purity of its tradition intact.

We're lead out of the lodge, on our knees, a new awakening, with fresh dry sheets enveloped around us as we drop the soaked ones, without inhibition, Do'a Mariana's assistant ever so attentive as she directs us to the adjoining massage area with mattresses on the floor, soft, colorful hand-embroidered swaths of cloth embracing the walls ? and Jesus and The Virgin watching over us, a focal point of the room. No need, though, for the two before us, that is Do'a Mariana now with her able helper and masseuse, continue to be our sole source of comfort, guidance and reassurance.

Then several minutes of calm and quiet, lying face down, alone in the room as it should be, with only my life partner, reborn together, as soft relaxation music begins. We're resting in silence, though my mind slowly returns to the practicalities of life. Will the young Zapoteca massage each of us? Has Do'a Mariana finished taking us to a certain point in the journey, now turning over control to her apprentice? The experience has begun to now take on, if not somewhat before, with the momentary nakedness in the presence of three women, a subtle undercurrent of healthy sensuality, at least for me, and perhaps for my partner. Not the thought process to which one normally admits, I would think, but no matter. It would perhaps continue, and build, if no one entered the room for an hour. And it would make no difference if I was to be massaged by the younger masseuse or Do'a Mariana. I would be equally satisfied and fulfilled with a twenty or a sixty year old Oaxaque'a laying her hands over the totality of my body, as Do'a Mariana has assured, ?from the tips of your toes to the top your head, you will be given a full massage.?

And so beside one another, we partake in the final phase of the process, each of us being massaged simultaneously, the continuity of the temazcal in tact as creams and unknown substances are rubbed into our bodies, again producing currents of natural fragrances, although different than before.

The two women leave within a few moments of one another. When the music's over, quiet and complete serenity return. After ten or fifteen minutes we prop ourselves us with pillows, and a tray with cups of lemongrass tea and glasses of mezcal is placed before us.

?Qu? salga el mal; qu? entre el bien? ? at least until tomorrow, or perhaps until I have an opportunity to experience a vision quest.

A two hour combined temazcal/massage with Do'a Mariana can be arranged by appointment through Las Bugambilias. Email: bugambilias@lasbugambilias.com.

* from Burchac, Joseph. ?The Native American Sweat Lodge/History and Legends.? Freedom, CA: Crossing Press, 1993.