# Temazcal

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{{short description|Mesoamerican sweat lodge}}
{{Other uses|Temescal (disambiguation){{!}}Temescal}}{{Refimprove|date=December 2008}}
[[File:ES Joya Ceren 05 2012 Estructura 9 Area 2 Tamazcal 1478.JPG|thumb|260px|Temazcal at the [Joya de Cerén](/source/Joya_de_Cer%C3%A9n) archaeological site, El Salvador]] 
A '''temazcal''' {{IPA|es|temasˈkal|}} is a type of [sweat lodge](/source/sweat_lodge), which originated with indigenous peoples in [Mesoamerica](/source/Mesoamerica). The term ''temazcal'' comes from the [Nahuatl](/source/Nahuatl) language, either from the words {{lang|nci|teme}} (to bathe) and {{lang|nci|calli}} (house), or from the word {{lang|nci|temāzcalli}} {{IPA|nah|temaːsˈkalːi|}} (house of heat).<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Quest to Consume the Authentic Other: The Mexican Temazcal as a Case-Study Analysis of Experiential Consumption in the Periphery of Neoliberalism|url=https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/47096 |website=Refubium |date=2024|doi=10.17169/refubium-46813|first=Theodoros|last=Iliadis}}</ref>

==Overview==
[[File:Codex Magliabechiano (folio 77r).jpg|thumb|left|Pictogram of an Aztec temazcal in the [Codex Magliabechiano](/source/Codex_Magliabechiano)]]
In ancient Mesoamerica it was used as part of a curative ceremony thought to purify the body after exertion such as after a battle or a ceremonial ball game. It was also used for healing the sick, improving health, and for women to give birth.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} It continues to be used today in Indigenous cultures of [Mexico](/source/Mexico) and [Central America](/source/Central_America) that were part of the ancient [Mesoamerican region](/source/Mesoamerican_region) for spiritual healing and health enrichment reasons.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The temazcal is usually a permanent structure, unlike sweat lodges of other regions. It has various construction styles differing by region: from [volcanic](/source/volcanic) rock and [cement](/source/cement), adobe mud bricks, even wood, mud, and cloth can be utilized.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} It may be a circular dome made to represent the uterus, although rectangular ones have been found at certain [archeological](/source/archeological) sites, such as the Cross Group in [Palenque, Mexico](/source/Palenque).<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Symbolic Sweatbaths of the Maya: Architectural Meaning in the Cross Group at Palenque, Mexico|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/971614|journal=Latin American Antiquity|date=1996|issn=1045-6635|pages=132–151|volume=7|issue=2|doi=10.2307/971614|first=Stephen D.|last=Houston}}</ref> To produce steam, water is poured over heated volcanic stones, which will not crack and explode like other rocks in confined high temperature areas. The stones may be heated with fire from an outside port or placed in a pit located in the center or near a wall of the temazcal.  In the modern day, the temazcal is used by indigenous midwifes (''comadronas)'' to assist women before, during, and after childbirth.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Space and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv6gqr9h|publisher=University of Calgary Press|date=2006}}</ref>

==See also==
* [Sauna](/source/Sauna)

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat|Temazcal}}
* [http://www.tlahui.com/temaz1.html Article on Temazcal] (in English)
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070822222852/http://www.oaxacainfo.com/oaxaca/temazcal.htm Article on Oaxacan Temazcal]}}

{{Native american styles}}

Category:Aztec society
Category:Bathing
Category:Indigenous architecture
Category:Ritual purification
Category:Sauna
Category:Culture of Mexico

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Temazcal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temazcal) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temazcal?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.