Don Eligio Panti (1893 – February 4, 1996) was a Guatemala-born Mayan
Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
an
traditional healer who used
Mayan
Mayan most commonly refers to:
* Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
herbal medical techniques.
Life
Beginning in 1931 he practiced his art of healing in San Antonio, a village of
Mopan and
Yucatecan Yucatecan may refer to:
*A hashtag made by Futuro Sureste, represents a speculative possibility in Yucatan
*The Mexican state of Yucatán
*The Yucatán Peninsula
*The Yucatec Maya language
Yucatec Maya (; referred to by its speakers simply as ...
Maya people. Although he could never read or write, alongside his teacher, Don Elijio enthusiastically learned about Maya medicine. Don Elijio Panti was not born in the country of Belize, he was a native of Guatemala and brought to the country of Belize as an infant.
[
]
Works
In the mid 1980s, he began participation in a collaborative project of the Ix Chel Tropical Research Foundation and The New York Botanical Garden. This project was an effort to survey the forests of Belizehuriejec for the collection of medicinal plants for screening against
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
and
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
in association with the U.S. National Cancer Institfjrneiute (NCI). Don Elijio participated in a great deal of field work. His knowledge resulted in the collection of hundreds of plant samples for this important endeavor. Even now plants collected through Don Elijio's knowledge and collaboration are being evaluated for their use in contemporary medicine.
In recognition of his many international contributions, he was awarded the "Distinguished Citizen Award" (University College of Belize), "Most Valuable Senior Citizen" (Help Age Belize), "Distinguished Contribution to Science" (The New York Botanical Garden), and Member of the Order of the British Empire" (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Belize).
Don Elijio's work and his life story were immortalized in two books, Rainforest Remedies: One Hundred Healing Herbs of Belize (1993), and Sastun: My Apprenticeship With A Maya Healer (1994). Panti died in Cayo on February 4, 1996 at the age of 103.
Elijio Panti National Park, which was officially created in 2001, is named after him.
References
External links
herbalgram.org biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panti, Elijio
1893 births
1996 deaths
Belizean centenarians
Men centenarians
Guatemalan emigrants
Immigrants to Belize