The Temazcal - Traditional Mayan Sauna

Mayans don’t really believe in switchbacks; they prefer to hike directly up the mountain. We learned this immediately upon our first day following a Mayan trail straight up el volcán Santa María, a 12,375 foot volcanic mountain in the heart of the Sierra Madres of Guatemala. The mountain casts an impressive backdrop framing the ancient Mayan city of Quetzaltenango (Xela) as it sits approximately 4,600 feet directly above the city. Still sore from the difficult hike up Santa María, we hiked some 11.8 miles from the outskirts of Quetzaltenango in Xicam to Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan the very next day. By day’s end, we were exhausted and smelled of burned corn husks, stray dogs, mud, sweat, and sunscreen. Desperate for a bath or shower, that evening we were introduced to the Temazcal - a traditional Mayan sauna unlike any sauna experience we had ever had.

Admittedly, saunaing with Hälsa Nordic Saunas is a pampered experience. The Temazcal has more in common with the Native American sweat lodge than it does a Hälsa Nordic Sauna, but the principles are the same: an immersive hot and cold experience resulting in a feeling of renewal. We were excited to have the chance to experience a brand new sauna tradition from a culture as ancient as the Mayans, and despite how different it is from traditional Nordic sauna, it did not disappoint.

The Temazcal is often referred to as “the womb” in Mayan culture. The Temazcal sauna is a small dome-shaped or triangular-shaped structure constructed of clay, stones, and/or simple large bricks. Within the Temazcal is a fire pit filled with volcanic stones, a faucet and large bucket for cold water, another large bucket filled with nearly boiling water nestled next to the hot stones and fire, a bench large enough for two, and a small drain for the water. Traditionally, one is naked and must crawl into the Temazcal accompanied by a guide or shaman who facilitates the experience through song, prayer, meditation, and the pouring of water on the volcanic rocks. It is common for one to enter and exit the Temazcal multiple times over the course of an hour as he or she experiences varying levels of detoxification - muscles recover, skin exfoliates, and respiratory health improves. Naked and crawling to enter and exit, it’s no wonder the Temazcal is seen as a kind of “womb” with the idea of “rebirth” and renewal nearly impossible to ignore.

It is not uncommon for women to give birth in a Temazcal and it is also not uncommon for the recently deceased to have their bodies cleaned and prepared for burial in the Temazcal. Within this rhythm, the Mayan life-cycle exists within the Temazcal - one is born, one bathes regularly throughout life, and one’s body is prepared for burial. The Temazcal sits low to the earth, which is unsurprising since Mayans have a deep-rooted connection to the earth. They have existed as a mostly peaceful agrarian people for thousands of years, subsisting on the “Three Sisters”: corn, beans, and squash long before it was common farming knowledge that these crops are perfectly complimentary. The corn provides support for the bean vines to reach and grow, the beans add nitrogen to the soil, and the squash protects the soil with prickly leaves that spread quickly. Additionally, the “Three Sisters” provide a perfectly balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. We often stopped in our tracks to admire an escarpment on a mountain farmed with precision and care by Mayans working with simple tools, growing acres of one of the “Three Sisters” on a hillside so steep a mountain goat would get nervous. The Mayan lifestyle in the highlands of Guatemala is rooted in the earth through farming, clearing and gathering wood, raising animals, and bathing in the Temazcal. In an age of technology and often feeling remote and separate from the earth, Mayans seem to have a deeper wisdom to offer with their intimate connection to it.

Back in the Temazcal we were kneeling naked in the dimly lit Mayan sauna smelling a mixture of smoke, hot rocks, the day’s grime on our bodies, and earth. We each grabbed a large bowl and dipped it into the nearly boiling water nestled beside the hot volcanic rocks. The water in this bowl is too hot to pour directly onto one’s skin, so we added some cold water from the other bucket, until the temperature was tolerable. Each bowl of water we poured on our heads and down our shoulders spread out and trickled down our bodies onto the floor, slowly steaming the small room. We repeated this process many more times until our bodies were clean, refreshed, and renewed. As we descended the hill in the rain away from our Temazcal, we noticed Temazcals were ubiquitous in the village. Each small hut and home contained its very own Temazcal somewhere nearby. Within 48-hours, we had climbed an active volcano spewing fresh earth out onto the world, hiked through miles of muddy countryside past corn, beans, and squash, and bathed in a Temazcal close to the earth emerging grounded, renewed, and reborn.

Otha Graham