Hot-cold classification: Theoretical and practical implications of a Mexican study

Abstract

Hot-cold food and medicinal categories from one Mexican community (Mitla, Oaxaca) are examined to describe general principles of classification, dimensions of use, and potentials for change. Intracultural variation in hot-cold knowledge and related dietary and medicinal practices are discussed to demonstrate how within one culture general structural principles of hot-cold balance can be shared, while content varies; also how knowledge is communicated so that use of hot-cold is retained in spite of differences in judgment and usage among population members. Findings from this community are then compared with those from other Latin American communities and with data on hot-cold usage in the Near East, Far East and other Old World communities. While Mitla differs from many other Latin American communities in that hot-cold reasoning does not interfere with delivery of health care or acceptance of nutrition information, it is similar to them in that hot-cold is not an all pervasive cultural idiom, but is the major idiom in which the qualities of foods and their beneficial or harmful effects on the body are discussed. By contrast, in Asian medical systems, hot-cold is the major idiom for discussing moral, social, and ritual states, in addition to the qualities of foods and medicines; but it is only one of a number of concepts for discussing health, humors, and foods. Implications of between and within cultural variation for reporting illness beliefs and formulating health policy are discussed.