Nahualism is a complex process involving diverse dimensions of the cosmovision, concepts regarding the body and the person, as well as magical practices and social connections to nature. Understood as the ability some individuals possess to turn themselves into an animal or atmospheric entity – the nahual --, nahualism’s objective is to commit beneficial or malevolent acts upon others. This is a fundamental notion and holds great historical continuity helpful in understanding the symbolic and social relations between human beings, sacred entities and nature.
The words náhuatl, nahualli and nahualtia were used in Pre-Hispanic times to mean voluntary metamorphosis. Currently, the word nahual is used in several Indigenous communities, alluding to the “wizards” who have this gift. The notion of nahual is linked to concepts such as “costume,” “investiture,” “attire” or “cover,” designating the shapes of animals or the atmosphere the individual takes on in order to act. Generally, this magical practice was used by gods such as Tezcatlipoca, governors and different types of ritual specialists. Colonial sources record the distinction between “good” nahualli and those who wreak havoc because of envy or personal interests. Included among the beings considered to be nahuals, are the tlahuipuchtli, women whose transformation was to take off their own legs; today this figure continues with the idea of the “witches” who feed off of blood.
Nahualism is closely linked to tonalism, a concept that holds that from birth, each individual has a coessential relationship with an animal or “double,” where both share a spiritual entity located in their hearts. Nevertheless, the differences and similarities between both concepts are not easily traced, and processes and relationships are often confused. An outstanding characteristic of nahualism is that a nahual can turn into several animals, even if they were not with the person at birth. In addition, this magical technique has a long history, which has allowed for mediation and communication between cosmic planes: “Through nahualism, men can turn into natural forces, gods can turn into other gods and also into men, and the dead can possess living creatures (Navarrete, 2000). Today, some nahuals and their metamorphoses have social functions, such as regulating behavior within the community.