Aztec people and their belief in nagualismo [La vigueur du nagualismo chez les Azteques d'aujourd'hui]

Abstract

The author shows how believe's of prehispanic origin are still in use today. The nagualismo is characterized by the existence of people named naguales that are able to have an animal appearance. The nagual has multiple fonctions, as a medecin-man he cures, as a tlaciuhqui he avoids bad weather, as a tlacatecolotl or owl-man he's dangerous and evil. Now a days, some native medicine-man still named naguales use ancient practices. The author collects some interviews given by inhabitants of the Alto Balsas, in Guerrero, Mexico about the nagualismo particularly about the cihuateyuga, a woman that shows up to men trying to seduce them.