The utilization of the earth and the natural world has always been a central element to Mexico’s culture: whether it be through the nation’s relationship with food, spirituality, or health. It has been recognized that the people utilize the earth for what they need, and that the people in turn take care of the earth.
Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz’s relationship to the earth has been a lifelong journey. From watching her ancestors and relatives utilize the earth for foods and herbs, to utilizing the earth as a mother for her children, it has taught her life lessons alongside her education from Massage school that its essential to take the relationships that we have with food and the earth seriously.
Through each of the book’s chapters (organized by the elements of Water, Earth, Air and Fire), Ruiz takes note of how each element serves a purpose for the body as a form of nutrition for our body’s beauty and spirituality.
For Water, Ruiz showcases how the element of water plays an integral role with ingredients such as avocados, cucumbers, and the element itself when utilized in her recipe of “Nopales Medicine Water” to showcase how water is utilized in present-day Mexico through the selling of Aguas Frescas.
For Air, the author focuses on how the element impacts the body; from what it feels by being outside with fresh air, to how it helps the mind focus. In addition, she shares incense recipes and how she herself takes the time to practice breathing exercises.
As for the Earth and Fire elements, listening to the earth, and watching the elemental transformation of fire, is a practice that takes time to care for and learn about. Whether it be taking a moment to listen to our bodies for the self-care that it needs, or cooking with fire as a form of transforming food into medicine for the body, all of the elements serve as a way of rethinking how we see ingredients and what they can do for us: body, mind and soul.
You can purchase this book at LA Tiendita during our hours of operation (Saturday & Sunday 12pm-5pm) or online by clicking here.