Os sonhos e os dias.xamanismo no méxico atual

Abstract

Based on an ethnographic research conducted throughout Mexico in which more than one hundred anthropologists participated, guided by the authors, this essay ponders the conceptions and contemporary shamanic practices of indigenous peoples. We discuss the historical depth of the shamanic institution in Mesoamerica. We can follow through different periods suggesting that, although there are important changes, it maintains a close kinship with the understandings and practices of ritual specialists today. One of the main findings of this research is the relevance of dreams and dream journeys in the shamanic practices and in their different fields of action.