This was a picture I took after returning from a local market with my Spanish teacher. I spent two weeks at the Celas Maya Spanish school in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala before starting my research, and I had the privilege of having a wonderful Mayan teacher named Loyola. Among many topics, she taught me about Mayan medicine and natural remedies they like to use. The bunch in the picture is menta, pericón, and manzanilla (mint, marigold, and chamomile), and it is set on top of a tablecloth decorated with a typical Mayan pattern. My teacher taught me that these plants are used to ease symptom caused by digestive issues by first drying them in the shade for a few days, and then using them in boiling water to make a tea. I think this picture is a representation of the harmony, balance, and respect found between the environment and the Mayan people. They honor and respect nature, and in return nature provides for them in the form of medicine, nutrition, shelter, etc. Living in harmony with nature means living in good health.
Photo Credit: Andrea Valdez, submitted to the 2017 CGH Global Health Photography Contest
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