San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Chiapas, México
Maruch Sántiz is one of the most renowned contemporary artists of Indigenous origin in the country—and, without exaggeration, in the world. She is still a young artist, yet already mature. She is someone who cannot help but fight to create her art. She explores the essence of Chamula culture and life through the interstices of human relationships and the objects of material culture.
Galería MUY is honored to present the exhibition titled “The Art of Ancestral Medicine,” which consists of a selection of 15 exquisite photographic works—digital and in color—the result of two years of work on a project conceived as a record, investigation, and artistic exploration. Sántiz is deeply knowledgeable in traditional Chamula herbal medicine, knowledge passed down from her grandmother and practiced in her life as a woman navigating both countryside and city, mother of two children, and natural healer using the herbs of Mother Earth (me’tik balamil).
The integration of text and image is a clear hallmark of Sántiz’s artistic projects over the past 20 years. The texts provide insight into the lived culture and beliefs of the Chamula people. Sántiz insists—and insisted during the installation of this exhibition at MUY—on the centrality of Tsotsil-language text to create an image-text duet, leading us to a magical unification of nature and culture. For non-Tsotsil speakers, it evokes a universal sense of the sacred; for Tsotsil speakers, it recalls the depth of the everyday with specific, practical recipes placed alongside the “imagined” plants—truly immense, rich in color and form, and made mysterious through masterful plays of focus.
This body of work was made possible by a two-year grant from the National Fund for Culture and the Arts—Sántiz has been recognized in the Young Creators program. This exhibition was initially created for the Cervantino Festival (Guanajuato, 2015) as part of a project curated by Ingrid Suckaer, the country’s most active and cited scholar of Indigenous art.
Artworks
Thistle flower
Photography
“Li snich tomal ch’ixe ta tun sventa spokobil jsekubtik ta xich’ lakanel chabel oxbejuk ta jun litro ya’lel chvokan vo’ob minute”.
“The thistle flower is used to reduce inflammation in the liver. Cut 2 or 3 flowers with 1 liter of water, boil for 5 minutes, and drink one cup in the morning, one at noon, and one in the afternoon. The treatment lasts for a week.”
Ginger
Photography
“Li xanxivre ojtikinbil ti toj lek k’ixine, ta xtun ta sventa spoxil sikil chameletik, jech k’ucha’al k’ux ch’ut, avanej bak. Ti k’u s-elan ta meltsanele ta xich’ tenel jbej xchi’uk ta xich’ bakubtasel vakibuk pimiente laux, papante mi laje ta xich’ juch’el ta cho’, ta xich’ lakanel vo’ob minuto xchi’uk o’lol litro pox, o’lol no’ox bis ta uch’el, yu’un ja’ li toj k’ixine. Li yan skomelale ja’ xa ta xatin li jchamele. Taje oy to jech ta spoxta sbaik li mol me’eltike”.
“Ginger is well known and is said to be very hot. It is used for various ailments such as stomach pain and bone pain. To prepare it, crush some ginger and brown 6 cloves of pepper and tobacco. Once they are browned, grind them in a metate. Boil everything together for 5 minutes with half a liter of pox. Only drink half a glass as it is very strong. With the leftover mixture, bathe the sick person. This treatment is still used to cure some elders.”
Turpentine
Photography
“Li xuch’e ta stunesik to’ox sventa tslok’esik o ch’ix ti mu stak’ lok’esel akuxae, ja’ tey ta jaxbik ti buy ipe, xchi’uk ja’ to’ox ta spoxtaik o li vok’ele”.
“Turpentine was used to remove a thorn that could not be extracted with a needle from the skin. It is applied to the affected area and was also used to heal calluses.”
Meste
Photography
“Li ni’ meste’ xchi’uk lek jyom apunal vomol lek xtun ta spoxil k’ux ch’ut tsa’nel, ta xich’ lakanel chanibuk sni’ meste’ lek li apunal vomole jun varta ya’lel, chich’ uch’e jkoj ta sob jkoj ta bat k’ak’al”.
“The tip of meste’ or wacharis along with the plant Silvestre apunal vomol is used for diarrhea. Boil 4 tips of meste’ and a bunch of apunal vomo (pena plant).”
Sat muil itaj
Photography
“K’uxi ta poxtael li ch’ok mi toj pim ch’ieme; xi ta pasele, ta xich’ k’kel oxbej sat muil itaj, ja xich’ ak’bel li buy ch’iem li ch’oke sk’an xich’ ak’bel chanibuk k’ak’al jech te ta k’unk’un ta sak ch’ay o batel ti ch’oke”.
“To remedy a pimple (mezquino) when a person has it, do the following: cut three ripe fruits of hierba mora, then apply them to the affected area. After a few weeks, the pimples will disappear.”
Thundering plant
Photography
“Li vomol li’e toj lek xtun ta spoxil ch’ininul, ta xich’ lakanel lek jyom ta jun bin jaluneb litro ya’lel yu’’un ta spok sba sjunul li buch’u ipe. Li yan xtoke tstunesik ta spoxil askal chamel. Ta xich’ lakanel jchel ta jun litro ya’lel chvokal lajuneb minuto. Uchbil le’e ja’ ta spajes mi lekub li buch’uy ipe”.
“The tronadora plant is used for external itching. Boil a bunch of the plant for 5 minutes in 10 liters of water, and have the patient bathe with it before going to bed. The treatment continues until the patient is healed.
On the other hand, it is also used for diabetes. Boil a branch with one liter of water for 10 minutes and drink one cup in the morning, one at noon, and one in the afternoon. The treatment continues until the patient is healed. It is important to avoid eating chili, sugar, and fats.”
The white soda
Photography
“Li k’ux peule ta spoxta k’ux ch’ut ik’etik, riñon ta xich’ lakanel cha’pech yanal xch’uk o’lol litro ya’lel cubil. Li snich xtoke ta xtun ta spoxil eilal, ti k’u s’elan ta meltsanele ta xich’ lakanel li sniche xchi’uk jun varta ya’lel mi sikube ja’ ta xich’ pokel o un, mi jech sk’an ta xpoxtaj li hi’elale ta xlok’ ta anil”.
“White soda cures flatulence and stomach and kidney pain. Boil 2 leaves with half a liter of water and drink it.
The flower cures ulcers. Boil it with a quarter of water, and once it has cooled, rinse your mouth with it. If done this way, it will eventually heal.”
Evergreen
Photography
“Li te’tikal sempravile, ta xtun ta spokobil jolal mi ch-van joltike ta xich’ sa’el uni jop ta xich’ ju’el o tenel xchi’uk jun varta ya’lel ja’ ta xich’ pokel o li joltike”.
“The wild live planting is used for headache. A handful is crushed with a quarter of water and applied to the head.”
Rue
Photography
“Li lulale ta xtun ta spoxil ch’ich’ tsa’nel, ta xich’ ju’el jyom ta jun varta ya’el xchi’uk ta xich’ ak’bel jun alsel uch’bil”.
