Did you know that tobacco is of American origin? Centuries before the arrival of the Spanish, it already had countless uses among indigenous peoples.
From Argentina to southern Canada, the use of tobacco spread throughout the American continent several centuries before the Conquest. This plant was smoked, inhaled, prepared into medicines, used in ceremonies, and offered on altars.
For example, in South America, tobacco was considered a miraculous medicine, essential in religious ceremonies. Also, in Brazil, priests inhaled its smoke for divination purposes.
Due to the different soils and climates, this plant has numerous varieties in our country; it has large leaves and can grow up to two meters. Furthermore, in pre-Hispanic times, each indigenous group gave it a different name; the Totonacs called it a’xcu’t and the Mayans, kuutz.
Furthermore, according to archaeologists, tobacco began to be smoked in Mexico as soon as the clay pipe was invented, approximately in the 9th century AD.
However, tobacco in the pre-Hispanic world was sacred; it was used in religious rites, purification ceremonies, and as a medicine to expel evil spirits.
Therefore, its use was exclusive to doctors, midwives, and priests; if someone without these professions used it, they were severely punished.
In fact, the Maya offered the first tobacco harvests to the gods; and according to Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, the Aztecs offered packets of twenty cigarettes each to the god Huitzilopochtli, believing that the smoke was pleasing to the gods.
How was tobacco used by doctors, midwives, and priests?
Mixed with lime, it was chewed to cure fatigue, suppress appetite, prevent sleepiness, and as a mouth disinfectant.
Rolled into a ball, it was placed on aching teeth as a pain reliever.
For back pain, the leaves were heated and placed directly on the skin.
Inhaled through the nose, it was used to enter a trance; the words of the person who had smoked were interpreted as the wishes of the invoked god.
A plant highly valued throughout the world
As we know, Europeans quickly adopted the habit of smoking tobacco, and its seeds were brought to Spain in 1518. Likewise, the Portuguese brought them to their homeland, Japan, and Italy. Finally, Walter Raleigh did the same in England in 1565. And the rest is history.
Source: mexicodesconocido
