X-Nico

3 unusual facts about Lacandon people


Lacandon people

The people use a specific type of snail species (Pachychilus spp.) known locally as t’unu as a type of protein supplement to their diet.

Several linguists and anthropologists have done extensive studies of Lacandon language and culture, including Phillip Baer, a missionary linguist with Summer Institute of Linguistics who lived among the Lacandon for more than 50 years, Roberto Bruce an American linguist who devoted his life to studying Lacandon language and culture, and Christian Rätsch who spent three years living with the Lacandon while studying their spells and incantations.

Deities include K’akoch, the god responsible for the creation of earth, sun, and other gods (who came from the bak nikte' or flower named Plumeria rubra) though, does not interact with anything human.


Christian Rätsch

He conducted field research for three years while living with the Lacandón Indians in Chiapas, Mexico investigating shamanism first-hand, and completed his doctorate on their incantations and spells.


see also

Lacandon

the Lacandon language, the language spoken by the contemporary Lacandon people