Traditional and spiritual care practices in nahua Indian community

Abstract

The object of study of nursing has been defined by various authors. When considering these definitions in Mexican practice, it is decontextualized or new definitions are created to attempt to standardize a view of the practice of care; these proposals consider primarily biological aspects, while sidestepping social, cultural and / or spiritual aspects that are part of the lifeways of individuals subject to care. Objective: Describe the practices of traditional and spiritual care in a Nahua community and provide information on the empirical knowledge of care practices in that community, which complement the conceptual frameworks of nursing. Methodology: Qualitative, phenomenological. Informants: tepatihs (tepatih: Nahuatl, referred to as “the healer”) and a Catholic priest. Both are complementary elements, responding to specific features of the community by dealing with situations of illness within their own ideological and cultural worldview, an important consideration to reinforce current theoretical frameworks relevant to nursing.

Keywords

• Prácticas de cuidado
• espiritualidad
• comunidad indígena
• medicina tradicional