Mesoamerican peoples possess complex systems of thought in which the human body serves as the basis for understanding and acting in the world. Since ancient times, the body has been conceived as an entity that carries energy, destiny-time, and ritual functions, as it is both a replica of the cosmos and contains it within itself. The body is a unified whole: a comprehensible scale model of the sacred order. From this perspective, the cosmos is divided into masculine and feminine domains and segmented into directions that correspond with human body parts and its extremities. For example, some Maya, Hñahñu (Otomí), and Nahua peoples, both ancient and contemporary, recognize the head and skull as representations of the sky; the feet as representations of the underworld; the navel as the mediator between above and below; the heart as the vital center; and the four limbs as the axes that connect with the directions of the cosmos.
Like the cosmos, the body is subject to the influence of time, and the life-death cycle evidences both the vitality and the degradation of human beings and the universe. In general terms, the body may be understood through three basic entities: the co-essence of the container (the body); agency or will (thought, power, strength); and vitality, linked to the processes of life-death and health-illness, among others. Unlike Western thought, the body is understood as a totality: a reflection of the cosmos in which divine forces and elements of nature interact through soul-related entities.
The soul-related centers are located in different parts of the body and regulate vital functions. Their balance and integration are expressed in the strength required to perform activities, exercise authority, work, and sustain life itself. Although deterioration and death are natural processes, they may also be associated with the imbalance or loss of these entities, manifesting as illness or decline. While each culture defines and names these soul-related entities according to local perspectives and diverse religious influences, the heart is commonly recognized as the source of vital force.
The Nahuas refer to this force as teyolía, the Maya call them ool, and the Tepehua as atsucunti, linking it both to life itself and to the “soul.” This entity is not exclusive to humans but is also present in animals, plants, and sacred beings. Ancient Nahuas associated teyolía with the patron deity, recognizing him as the origin of group belonging. The Tepehua, in turn, identify the shadow as another entity related to vital force and personal identity. As the regulator of life, this force grows stronger throughout existence and leaves the body only at death.
The Nahuas locate tonalli in the head, associating it with heat, destiny, and the day of birth, as well as with the Sun and human will. Among the Tepehua, atalacpast’ac’at is the soul-related entity that governs thought, learning, and memory; it is situated in the brain and occupies the head. By contrast, ihiyotl is located in the liver and is expressed through physical vigor, passions, and desire. Although soul-related entities and their locations vary across groups, it is commonly believed that some components can enter and leave the body during sleep, trance states, fright, or through the ingestion of stimulants such as alcohol or psychotropic substances. Others may become depleted through labor, excess, or moral transgressions.
The absence of these components manifests as illness; consequently, bodily imbalance must be treated by specialist healers through rituals, medicinal plants, and offerings directed toward the entities that prevent the return of soul-related forces to the patient’s body. In this sense, the body is a territory in which health and life are continuously negotiated with the forces of the cosmos.