Knowledge and Use of Plant Species by Mayan Indians of Chiapas, Mexico

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This proposal will describe the knowledge and uses of medical plants by the Mayan peoples of the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. The long-term objectives of the research are to produce a detailed comparative inventory of those plant species deemed to have medicinal value by the indigenous Tzeltal and Tzotzil peoples of the highland region, and identify those species that merit chemical evaluation because of their potentially beneficial properties; to identify and describe in Western bio-medical terms the folk syndromes of illness for which medicinal plants are employed in recognized folk remedies; to develop textual, audio- and video-taped recordings of the preparation and administration of plant-derived medications for the recognized native categories of affliction and disease; and to publish a multilingual, illustrated atlas and ethnomedical encyclopedia in English, Spanish, Tzeltal and Tzotzil that compares regional variation in ethnobotanical knowledge and uses of medicinal plants as reflected in the differential distribution of plant species, ethnomedical and ethnobotanical nomenclature, type of affliction treated, and methods of preparation and application. The research will be conducted with the active collaboration of state and local representatives of the Chiapas Public Health Service. The results of this broad study will serve to codify the significance of traditional medical knowledge for both indigenous and non-native peoples at a time when the loss of this knowledge is seriously threatened by rapid economic and social change. This type of research is important because the analysis of specific folk systems of nature helps us to understand knowlege systems in general.