Maya Medicine: An Analysis of the Maya Concept of the Cardiovascular System

Among pre-Columbian cultures, the Maya (ca. 2000 BCE–1697 CE) are widely considered to have built one of the most culturally advanced societies in the Americas. Their legacy features advanced hieroglyphic writing, monumental architecture, the invention of zero, and a highly precise calendar used to record elite history and regulate agriculture.

Practiced by shamans as part of their religious duties, Maya medicine was a rich oral tradition passed down through generations. It was a holistic discipline that blended religious, magical, and psychic elements with limited scientific knowledge. Rather than being strictly theoretical, it was a practical framework made up of symptom lists, incantations, rituals, and therapeutic recipes. Disease was attributed to evil spirits or divine punishment, and treatment consisted mostly of plant-based remedies. Their knowledge of anatomy was scant, and their concept of physiology was a vague homeostasis of cold and hot. Pulse-taking was used to assess imbalances, and bleeding was used to restore health. Ritual human sacrifice and cardiac extraction helped formulate their concept of the cardiovascular system. The heart was considered the site of vital power where circulating blood was vitalized. Blood was considered a life force that enlivened individuals and made them strong. The heart was also linked to moods and emotions.