Spiritual Uses of Nahua Plants
The Nahua people were deeply connected to the natural world around them. Animals and plants had unique spiritual properties. Some of these properties were very sacred and tied into their worldview. Pulque is a revered beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant or, as we know it commonly, the agave plant. Although both Tequila and Pulque come from the agave plant, pulque is milkier and has a far lower alcohol concentration. The Aztecs even had their deities linked to agave and its product, pulque. The god of Pulque is Tepoztēcatl, while the goddess of agave is Mayahuel. If the agave plant and its products were not sacred, they would not have deities linked to the plant. Its ritual use is believed to influence good agricultural yields. Consumption of Pulque was limited to military officials, social elites, and the priesthood. The Mexica believed that the state of intoxication provided a link between ordinary reality and the divine; thus, the consumption of pulque was special to them. They held a special festival called pillahuano, or drunkenness of the children, “And there began the giving, the giving of pulque to the people. Everyone took his pulque there; it was taken with one in earthen jars. There was giving there to each other; there was continual giving to one another; there was continual returning, there was continual reciprocating. There, they gave pulque to all the small children—those who were already a little large and those who still lay in the cradle. They only made them taste it. Indeed everyone already mature was drunk; it was indeed evident that pulque was drunk.” (Tlahcuiloh 2023, 105r). The image from Book 2, Folio 105r in the Florentine Codex, depicts this ritual. The scene consists of women dressed in brightly colored, traditional Mexica garb. The women in the bottom half of the image are holding and interacting with their children while the women in the top half are drinking pulque from an earthenware jar.
Tobacco
Another plant with spiritual ties is the tobacco plant. Like the maguey, it had its own associated deity, Tezcatlipoca, and had spiritual uses in offerings. In one instance from the Florentine Codex, the Mexica made an offering of tobacco tubes to Uitzilopchtli, “And when they were about to begin when the singers were about to start dancing, first they laid offerings before Uitzilopochtli; they gave him his gifts of flowers, of tubes of tobacco. They laid them down at the landing [of the pyramid] in an eagle vessel.” (Tlahcuiloh 2023, 29v). The ritual offering of tobacco paraphernalia highlights the societal and spiritual value of tobacco in Mexica society. The image from Book 9, Folio 29v depicts priests bearing a variety of offerings including flowers and tobacco tubes. These priests are approaching a white temple topped by an altar. The Nahua consumed tobacco by burning it in a reed tube and inhaling the smoke. They would pass the tube around with their right hand which bears significance since it is the hand that would hold a spear, “the tobacco servers followed a formalised ritual when distributing the smoking canes to guests. They offered the elongated, spear-shaped tubes with their right hand - the hand that customarily held a spear or spear thrower in battle. The round “ashtray” in which the burning tube would rest, symbolising the shield, was carried in the server’s left hand” (Mursell, n.d.). This attention to the positioning of the pipe ties into the spirituality of warfare and how it impacts their traditions. Tobacco and its active ingredient, nicotine, are consumed in a variety of ways nowadays, whether it be smoking it, vaping it, or using it orally via tobacco pouches. The effects of tobacco provided clarity and a head high, which the Mexica could appreciate.
Cacao
Cacao was another plant that was of great importance to the Nahua. Priests would use it as an offering, and the Nahua believe that the consumption of cacao connects them to their gods. They believe that it came from the gods themselves. It was consumed by mixing the powdered cacao with cold or hot water. Cacao is still consumed today in a variety of ways, but most notably in solid forms like bars. Besides spiritual properties, it was also believed to have medicinal properties such as improving energy and libido. Procurement of cacao was laborious and time-consuming, cementing its status as a luxury good and even as a currency. The image I chose from the Florentine Codex, Book 11, Folio 123r, depicts a cacao tree. The tree has green foliage and a green trunk. The fruit is brown to dark red and is likened to maize in appearance. Maize is an extremely valuable and a cornerstone of their cooking and traditions.
Conclusion
After all these years, I find it amazing that people still enjoy the products of the agave plant, cacao tree, and tobacco plant. Even though they are not mostly consumed the same way the Nahua did, they enjoy a continued lease of life in our modern world.
Works Cited
Available at Digital Florentine Codex/Códice Florentino Digital, edited by Kim N. Richter and Alicia Maria Houtrouw, "Book 2: The Ceremonies", fol. 105r, (Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982) nahuatl translation Getty Research Institute, 2023. https://florentinecodex.getty.edu/book/2/folio/105r Accessed 6 May 2024.
Available at Digital Florentine Codex/Códice Florentino Digital, edited by Kim N. Richter and Alicia Maria Houtrouw, "Book 9: The Merchants", fol. 29v, (Anderson & Dibble 1953–1982) nahuatl translation Getty Research Institute, 2023. https://florentinecodex.getty.edu/book/9/folio/29v Accessed 6 May 2024.
Mursell, Ian. 2024. “Fancy a Puff?” Fancy a Puff? Accessed May 8. https://www.mexicolore.co.uk/aztecs/aztec-life/fancy-a-puff.
