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The Hetzmek ceremony, after which Maya mothers always carry their babies on the left hand side (Click on image to enlarge) |
That’s why Maya mothers have always carried their babies on the LEFT hip, from the age of 3 months (marked by the ancestral ‘Hetzmek’ ceremony, still performed today in Maya communities).
Quote from:-
• The Human Body and Ideology: Concepts of the Ancient Nahuas by Alfredo López Austin, translated by Thelma Ortiz de Montellano and Bernard Ortiz de Montellano, Vol. 1, University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 1988, p. 198.
Image sources:-
• Main pic (L): image scanned from The Human Body... (above); other images from the internet (apologies, specific sources unknown).
This article was uploaded to the Mexicolore website on Mar 19th 2020