Cosmovision as Cognitive Technology: The Case of Mesoamerican Medicinal Knowledge.

ABSTRACT: We examine the use of cognitive technologies in the acquisition and retention of botanical and medicinal knowledge. We focus on the Cruz-Badianus codex, a 16th-century Nahua (Aztec) herbarium which discusses the use of plants for a range of illnesses. We show how the codex reflects the Mesoamerican cosmovision, in particular, the association of the human body and cosmos, and the polarity and balance of hot and cold. We hypothesize that the cosmological and philosophical ideas that underlie the medicinal uses prescribed in the codex are not incidental, but rather help to scaffold knowledge, retain in memory successful remedies, and aid the transmission of information.

SUBMITTER: De Smedt J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12831609 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature