El nahual y el diablo en la cosmovisión de un pueblo de la ciudad de México

Abstract

In Mexican folk belief two mythical persons exists who survive
to our days; the nahual and the devil, of Prehispanic and Spanish origin, respectively. They play an important role in social control, mainly among some indigenous and mestizo groups. In this article I discuss the function of the nahual and the devil in a village which is part of the city of Mexico, surrounded by the metropolis, the Candelaria Sector of Coyoacan. This neighborhood has a prehispanic origin of nahua culture, where rural patterns of life are still preserved and where these mythical beings are until today prominent in local thought and activities.