Acciones rituales del nacimiento y sus implicaciones simbólicas entre los nahuas de la Sierra Norte de Puebla

Abstract

Societies establish certain actions to mark men’s transition from a stage in life to another, such as those related to aging. However, for many societies, particular men life stages deserve more meaningful actions due to their importance for the future. This is the case of the nahua from Naupan, a municipality in the north mountain range of Puebla who, through a ritual system destined to stand out men life cycles, not only they emphasize their relevance but, through their actions, they update and reassert their bonds to the natural and cosmic world that has a desicive influence over human beings, expressing they do not think of themselves as unique but know they are part of a bigger context which they have to keep a harmonious relatioship with permanently. In this paper I will adress the ritual actions that take place when a baby is born, a period perceived by the nahua people as a very delicate period due to the newborn situation, who does not fully belong to the wolrd of the men nor to the world it has just left, so it is in a liminal stage.