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240 N o t e s o f M i d d l e A m e r i c a n A r c h a e o l o g y a n d E t h n o l o g y Carnegie Institution of Washington Division of Historical Research No. 61 February 15, 1946 Some Uses of Tobacco among the Maya J. Eric S. Thompson These scant jottings on “the weed” have lain among my notes for many years. I have not attempted to improve the mixture by seeking more gleanings to blend with it, but offer it more or less as garnered without any pretense that it adequately covers the subject. Information on the use of tobacco among the Maya of the sixteenth century is extraordinarily scarce. Bishop Landa has a single and rather obscure reference to ceremonial blowing of smoke in an initiation ceremony for children, but it is not even certain that that was tobacco smoke. The chaplain, Juan Diaz, of the Grijalva expedition writes that at Cozumel the natives presented Grijalva and some of his men with “some canes about a palm long which, on being burnt, gave off a delicate odor.” Cane (cana) is the term generally used by early chroniclers to describe the aromatic cigars used by the Mexicans. A much later, but very interesting, account of cigars and their manufacture appears in the Registro Yucateco (1:349–350). The article is entitled “Cocom” and is signed “un curioso.” Cocom is the name of an unidentified tuberous plant with yellow flowers. The tubers of this were cut in narrow strips, which were carbonized on a very hot comal (griddle). The material was then pulverized, and placed in a gourd or vessel. Atole de camote (sweet potato gruel) and a little honey were added, so that the mixture formed a thick paste. The maker of the cigar then took leaves of the zapote (Achras zapota L.), or, were he a resident of Chichanha, leaves of the allspice (Pimenta officinalis Lindl.), and split them lengthwise. Each half-leaf was next rolled on a small, spindle-shaped stick, about as thick as a turkey quill, and tied with henequen thread. The surface was then coated with the cocom paste, except for about an inch at the thinner end, which was to serve as the mouthpiece. The stick was pulled out, after the whole had been dried in the sun, and tobacco, of the kind regularly used in making cigars, was inserted in its place. The end was doubled over to prevent the tobacco spilling, and the cigar was then ready for enjoyment. One is reminded by this description of the perfumed canes of tobacco and liquidambar, smoked by the Aztec. In the highlands of Guatemala, according to Fuentes y Guzman (1932–1933), guayava leaves were used to wrap cigars. On the other hand, the Lacandons used cigarros of pottery which were curiously painted (Villagutierre y Sotomayor 1933, Bk. 5, Ch. 6). From the use of the word cigarro one can perhaps infer that these were tubular pipes. CigarsarementionedinthePopolVuh.Xbalamque and Hun Ahpu are required to pass a night in the cave of darkness, and to emerge next morning with their cigars and pine torches still alight, after having kept them burning all night. The young men extinguish their cigars and put fireflies on the ends so as to make the people of Xibalba believe that they are still alight. This incident must have formed part of the body of holy tradition shared by all Maya groups, for there is an indirect reference to it in Yucatecan literature. Among the riddles put to candidates for chieftainship, as preserved in the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel (Roys 1933:97), occurs the fol- Some Uses of Tobacco among the Maya 241 lowing: “Son, bring me the firefly of the night. Its odor shall pass to the north and to the west . . . What he asks for is a smoking tube filled with tobacco,” As Roys has suggested, these riddles were designed to elicit information as to whether a candidate had a sufficient fund of the esoteric knowledge necessary for his future office. A thorough acquaintance with Maya tradition and mythology clearly was one of the required subjects. Among the present-day Yucatec the Chacs (rain gods) are said to be very fond of smoking, and comets are said to be their glowing cigars (Tozzer 1907:155, 156). One sincerely hopes that the Maya informant meant to...

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