In Náhuatl, a native Mesoamerican language, the word temazcal comes from the word temāzcalli, meaning “house of heat.” The Temazcal, a dome-shaped sweat lodge usually made of volcanic rock, cement, wood, or mud, is an integral part of a Mexican ceremony dating back to the 1500s. Because these precolonial sweat lodges have both spiritual and physical benefits, they are still utilized today throughout Mexico and parts of Central America.
The physical benefits of the temazcal are much easier to summarize, so we’ll tackle that before getting into the spiritual cleansing that is the ceremony itself.
The temazcal has been proven to be beneficial by modern medicine. The volcanic stones in the temazcal emit infra-red rays that are healthy for the body. Infrared therapy is used as an alternative treatment for varying health conditions, including joint stiffness and fibromyalgia. Infrared rays can detoxify, relieve pain, induce relaxation, improve circulation, boost the immune system and lower blood pressure. The steam in the temazcal is very beneficial too. It adds warmth and moisture to the air, which loosens mucus in your airways and lungs. Steam improves breathing. Steam baths or saunas are an excellent addition to treatment plans.
The temazcal ceremony requires a shaman or the guardiana of the temazcal to guide the experience. Guardiana is a feminine noun because women are supposed to lead the ceremony. In the legend of the temazcal, Quetzalcoatl, gave women the Temazcal. Quetzacoatl is the Mesoamerican serpent god who is associated with the planet Venus and the cycle of death and rebirth.
However, there is a different ritual, the blessing of the four directions, that some perform before entering the temazcal. Lupita Maldonado, guardiana of Temazcal Ba’duhiini in Guerrero, Mexico, performs the ritual:
“…And that’s the ceremony to ask permission of the four directions north, south, east and west. Here we ask permission of the guardians of each direction to bless this ceremony and be with us. And also we do an offering to Mother Earth with flowers, fruits and seeds. And we do a deshumado, a cleansing and purifying of the energy with the smoke of Copal” (Roots & Rituals Podcast).
Copal, a word also derived from the Náhuatl language, is a resin collected from trees. It has documented use in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as a spiritual cleanser in ancient Aztec and Mayan ceremonies.
The four cardinal directions are fundamental to Mesoamerican religion and cosmology, and each direction even has its own myth in Aztec mythology. This considered, the blessing of the four cardinal directions is yet another practice that keeps ancient customs alive.