The excrement of the roadrunner (correcaminos) is used against bad witchery. It should be bolied and drank. The excrement is also used among the Otomies to straighten the legs of children who cannot walk. If someone on his way to hunt runs into a roadrunner (correcaminos), the hunter will not find animals to hunt. To […]
Tag: Mexico
How Hummingbird won the hearts of the villagers
Not far from Rainbow Cave on the Sacred Mountain in what is now New Mexico, Hummingbird Hoya lived with his beloved grandmother long ago. “I think I will go to Kiakima to see what their clansmen are doing,” Hoya said one day to his beloved grandmother. Because he was so small and wanted to be […]
Bird stories, Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao)
In the religion of the Mayas of Yucatan the great god of light was Itsamna, one of whose titles was The Lord, the Eye of the Day, a truly picturesque description of the sun. A temple at Itzmal was consecrated to him under the double name Eye of Day-Bird of Fire. In time of pestilence, […]
Bird stories, Blue-black Grassquit and Blue-crowned Motmot
The Ch‘ol Maya believe the pich, identified by informants as variously the Melodious Blackbird (Dives dives) or Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina), are said to sing to signal to a traveler that someone is ahead on the road. Hull, K. & Fergus, R. AN ETHNOORNITHOLOGICAL APPROACH TO HUMAN-BIRD RELATIONS AMONG THE MOPAN MAYA OF BELIZE. 2009. […]
Bird stories, Barn Owl (Tyto alba)
The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) known as xoch’, which is described as a nocturnal bird, white, size of buzzard or heron, the animal counterpart of witches, sign of death. The Jews believe that their cry causes the death of young children; so, in order to prevent this, they pour a vessel of water out into […]