When the Spanish conquistadors
arrived in the New World, they
found that a major component of
native medicine was the temascal,
a steam bath similar to a Native
American sweat lodge or Scandinavian
sauna. Archaeological
evidence suggests that the bath was
used up to 1,200 years ago by the
Aztecs and the Maya, as well as the
other cultures of Mesoamerica
(Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize).
The temascal is a round room,
rarely tall enough for a person to
stand up in. Volcanic stones are
heated over a fire until they are red
hot and then brought into the temascal, where they are doused with water to create thick, humid
steam. Sometimes medicinal herbs such as eucalyptus are placed on the rocks to enhance the curative
effects of the vapors. The temascal was used to purify the body of many different types of pain: joint,
muscle, and stomach pain; pain from bone fractures and headaches; and, for women, pre-menstrual,
labor, and post-partum pains. Pain and disease were believed to result from an imbalance of “hot” and
“cold” energies in the body. Sweat carries an excess of cold out of the body, whereas redness of skin
was thought to indicate an excess of heat leaving the body. Today there is a renewed interest in the
temascal, and many have sprung up in Mexican tourist centers, where they are often part of a spa
treatment for general relaxation; however, the temascal is still used as a therapy for chronic pain.