Conocimiento tradicional y prácticas terapéuticas en contextos urbanos: herbolaria, espiritualidad y transmisión del conocimiento en la zona metropolitana de Guadalajara
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study explores the ways in which therapeutic knowledge associated with herbal medicine and various spiritual practices is transmitted and used in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Mexico, with a particular focus on the Corona Market. Despite its strong presence among the local population, this context has received limited attention in academic literature. The objective is to identify how individuals engaged in these activities learn, adapt, and put their knowledge into practice, especially within an urban environment where multiple healthcare alternatives coexist and where therapeutic decisions often combine personal experiences, beliefs, and inherited practices. Methodologically, the study employed semi-structured interviews organized through a flexible adaptation of the SECI Model, which made it possible not only to identify forms of learning and transmission but also to examine the processes of validation and continuity that sustain these practices. The findings indicate that a significant portion of therapeutic knowledge originates within family life or the immediate social environment and is consolidated through direct observation and everyday practice. However, a growing distancing among younger generations is observed, placing the continuity of this knowledge at risk. Additionally, some practitioners selectively incorporate elements of modern medicine, while the majority maintain inherited practices closely linked to symbolic and spiritual dimensions. The results suggest that documenting and strengthening these transmission processes is a necessary step to ensure the continuity of traditional knowledge, particularly in urban contexts subject to rapid change.
Source: Sapientiae
Institution: Universidad de Guadalajara
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7169561449