Episode 52 - Ancestral Postpartum Care with Pānquetzani
I recently had the honor of speaking with Pānquetzani, whose work centers on reclaiming ancestral healing practices focused on women's bodies and womb health. Drawing from her Mexican lineage, Pānquetzani brings forward timeless traditions that support hormonal balance, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and menopause.
In a world where many of us have become disconnected from our ancestral wisdom, Pānquetzani's work serves as a powerful bridge, reconnecting us to practices that have supported women's wellbeing for generations before modern medicine took center stage. Her approach emphasizes holistic healing that addresses body, mind, and spirit as inseparable elements of wellness.
Topics Covered
In this illuminating conversation with Pānquetzani, we explore:
- Exploring Mexican traditional medicine (Curanderismo) and its holistic approach to healing
- The sacred postpartum window (La Cuarentena) and its importance for maternal and infant wellbeing
- How colonialism has impacted ancestral healing traditions and ways to reclaim these practices
- The understanding of the womb as both a physical organ and spiritual/energetic center
- Community-based care versus individualistic approaches to healing
- Teaching self-womb care and rebuilding healing traditions in communities
About Pānquetzani
Pānquetzani breathes life into ancestral traditions, offering time-tested wellness practices, honoring the 4,500-year-old traditions of her foremothers + integrating her lifetime of study into her private practice + daily life.
Pānquetzani comes from a matriarchal family of folk healers from the valley of Mexico (Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, y Tlaxcala), La Comarca Lagunera (Durango + Coahuila), and Zacatecas. Hearing family narratives of her tatarabuelas doctoring their comunidades, and experiencing the healing of her abuelas first-hand, led Pānquetzani to trust in the innate wisdom of ancestral healing. Use of Indigenous knowledge has transformed + forever impacted her personal, family, + community well-being.
In 2007, Pānquetzani decided to take her practice outside of her own lineage to serve her community. As a traditional herbalist, healer, and birthkeeper, Pānquetzani has touched over 3,000 wombs + bellies spread across three countries + two dozen cities in the last twelve years.
Since 2012, as the founder of Indigemama: Ancestral Healing, she has taught over 100 live, in-person intensives and trainings, totaling more than 1,500 hours of live instruction on healing and countless hours of free + online education on womb wellness. Today, Pānquetzani has ushered over 8,000 BIPOC members through her online school, Indigescuela. On her days off, you'll find Pānquetzani feeding friends + getting into mischief with her guapo + 4 semillas (children/seeds).
Connect with Pānquetzani:
- Website: https://indigemama.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/indigemama
- Book: "Thriving Postpartum" - https://www.indigescuela.com/thriving-postpartum-book
- Postpartum Summit: https://www.indigescuela.com/
Listen to the Episode
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Timestamps
The Philosophy of Curanderismo
Pānquetzani's healing practice draws from Curanderismo, a traditional Mexican healing system with deep roots in Mesoamerican philosophy. She explains that while the Spanish word "curanderismo" means "healing," the philosophy behind it is distinctly Mesoamerican, though it also carries African and European influences due to colonization and cultural exchange.
What makes this healing approach unique is its adaptability to local resources:
"Curanderismo in Arizona is not the same as Curanderismo that's in Texas or California or Central Mexico or Northern Mexico. It's all different and based on local topography. What can I grab? Are these mountainous herbs? Are these herbs from the forest? What kinds of foods do we have available to us?"
Despite regional variations, the core philosophy remains consistent:
"The philosophy of Curanderismo is that we have a body that is inseparable from our spirit, which means if we treat the body, you also must treat the spirit. You must treat the mind. We are holistic beings."
This holistic perspective extends to viewing organs as energy centers with their own spiritual essence. The uterus, for example, is seen as more than just a physical organ:
"When we think of what is the uterine spirit, what is the uterine energy—womb energy is creative energy. It's fertile energy. It's protective energy. And any time that we haven't been able to exert our self-protection or protection of loved ones, any time where our emotions or our soul was chipped away at because we weren't able to use our womb energy to protect, preserve, create, then this impacts the uterus physically."
La Cuarentena: The Sacred Postpartum Period
One of the most powerful ancestral practices Pānquetzani discusses is "La Cuarentena"—the sacred 40-day window after giving birth. This period stands in stark contrast to modern postpartum approaches, which often expect new mothers to resume normal activities within days.
Pānquetzani describes La Cuarentena as a sacred ritual requiring a form of self-sacrifice:
"La Cuarentena requires you to not go out. You don't go outside, you don't go anywhere. You stay home, you don't do work. You don't move your body unless it's to care for yourself or your baby. You get taken care of by your family, community, or birth workers."
During this time, new mothers are:
- Fed three nourishing meals daily plus snacks
- Given healing foods like corn gruel to calm the uterus and encourage milk production
- Supported with rituals like closing of the hips (really the closing of all bones)
- Massaged from head to toe
- Nourished with bone broth-based soups
- Allowed to focus solely on recovery and bonding with baby
The purpose is profound:
"Our postpartum experience will impact our parenting forever. It will impact our relationship with our babies forever. So this small investment, this small sacrifice of 40 days is really investing in your whole life and your child's whole life."
Pānquetzani points out that the neglect of proper postpartum care in Western cultures is a form of gender violence that affects not only mothers but also their babies—the next generation.
"In the US in particular, we have extremely high infant and maternal mortality death rates. We are in the top five in the world for maternal mortality, and a lot of this happens during postpartum. Ancestral rituals are here to guide us through this sacred rite of passage."
The Impact of Colonialism on Ancestral Healing
Pānquetzani speaks powerfully about how colonialism disrupted ancestral healing traditions, particularly those practiced in community:
"The main way that colonialism has ripped us apart is in our traditions. Healing is not done alone. You heal in community. We call this community care, and really self-care is community care when it's traditional."
She shares the story of the temazcal, a traditional sweat lodge practice that was banned in the 1700s because colonizers misinterpreted its purpose:
"It was banned. They forbade us to do this in the 1700s because they said, 'Why is a grandmother going in there with her grandson and her son? There must be fornication happening. This is ungodly.' And also we prayed to the Temazcaltoci, who is the goddess of the temazcal. So they're like, 'This is fornication. This is worshiping idols.' And they made it illegal."
This ban led to generations of lost traditions and internalized shame around bodies and healing practices. Pānquetzani shares that launching her healing business meant overcoming this ancestral wound of hiding:
"One of the biggest things that I had to overcome when I launched my business, Indi Mama Ancestral Healing, is the legacy of hiding. If I keep my head down, if no one could see me, I'm safe. But it wasn't until I could feel safe in my body and safe sharing my gifts—my don, which is a divinely appointed gift—that I experienced personal freedom."
Indigenous Business as Revolutionary Act
Pānquetzani's work extends beyond individual healing to creating systemic change through indigenous business:
"Every indigenous business on colonial land is revolutionary. A radical act of liberation happens when black and brown people who are systemically oppressed have a business that contributes to our liberation."
She teaches "Embodied Enterprise" in the Indigenous Business Kinship Circle to help others build businesses that align with ancestral values of community support and abundance:
"If we have community, then we always have abundance. And this is something I learned growing up Mexican... One person took care of the food, one person took care of the decorations, another person took care of the chairs and tables. Everybody gets together and puts a little bit in the pot and you end up with so much abundance."
This approach to business is directly tied to healing colonial wounds:
"Everything I do is for healing colonial wounds. That's the big umbrella. Whatever I do, whether it's healing postpartum, training postpartum practitioners, or teaching business classes—it all falls under 'we are healing colonial wounds with our existence.'"
Key Pillars of Pānquetzani's Healing Approach
Pānquetzani's work through Indi Mama centers on several key pillars:
- Teaching Self-Care Skills: Through online courses like "Tlahuayo Self: Lifelong Self Womb Care," she teaches women how to care for their own bodies.
"I teach folks how to lift their womb into the appropriate position, how to clear their lymph, how to clear congestion from their abdomen, how to clear their ovarian and fallopian tubes, how to massage their ovaries, how to clear their colon." - Reviving Traditional Knowledge: By teaching herbalism, self-womb massage, and traditional food preparation, she helps rebuild what was lost.
"If I truly believe in the liberation of indigenous people, then I have to bring back the traditions that were lost. I have to rewrite the books that were burned. I have to rebuild the communities that were ravaged by colonialism." - Giving Back: Creating scholarships and opportunities for others to learn and serve.
"I just gave $20,000 worth of scholarships for postpartum practitioners, and they're all Black, Indigenous people of color. For everyone who pays the full price, they are supporting folks who wouldn't be able to make it into the six-month healing journey." - Community Building: Actively working to heal wounds between women and rebuild supportive community networks.
"We have a clearing meditation where we clear the ancestral wounds of mother wounds and sister wounds—all of the times that we were pitted against each other as women, the distrust that we have for each other, the times where we learned throughout our lives that we can't trust another woman, they're our competition."
Indigenous Approaches to Learning About the Body
When asked about indigenous approaches to understanding the body, Pānquetzani shares that her learning came primarily through apprenticeship and observation:
"Growing up I learned through apprenticeship. And there weren't very many words. It was all, 'You're immersed now. You in this now, figure it out. Observe, and when you're done observing, do it.'"
She describes watching her great-aunt perform limpias (spiritual cleanses) when family members were sick, learning through these powerful moments what to do in times of illness.
"Living through little examples, seeing, being immersed in these moments that really make an impact on you, is what taught me the most. It's almost like core memories."
Similarly, her grandmother taught her in the kitchen without explicit instructions:
"She didn't explain things, but she planted seeds. And only later did I realize what she was teaching me, but in her wisdom, she knew I could only learn if I learned it on my own. And if I didn't learn it on my own, I wasn't meant to learn it."
Honoring the Womb
Pānquetzani closes our conversation with beautiful wisdom about honoring the womb:
"Pay attention to your bodies and thank your womb. Put your hands on your womb and thank her for the work that she's always doing. Your womb is just like you. Your womb is always working, always doing. Even when you don't acknowledge it, your womb is working for you."
She reminds us that the womb supports us in countless ways—holding up organs, contributing to hormonal balance throughout the month, and constantly growing, expanding, and contracting in reflection of our whole selves.
"When you thank your womb, you thank yourself. When you thank your womb, you thank the blood that was shed to birth your womb, because all of us come from womb blood. If you're here, that means the womb that you came out of bled for you. So when you thank your womb, you're thanking generations.”
Key Takeaways
- Holistic healing is ancestral practice - Body, mind, and spirit are inseparable in traditional healing approaches
- Postpartum care is essential - The 40-day cuarentena provides critical support for new mothers and babies
- Healing happens in community - Traditional healing was never meant to be practiced alone
- Colonialism disrupted healing traditions - Many practices were banned, leading to generational loss of knowledge
- The womb has spiritual significance - Beyond its physical function, the womb represents creative and protective energy
- Learning comes through immersion - Traditional knowledge is often transferred through observation and apprenticeship
- Indigenous business is revolutionary - Creating businesses aligned with ancestral values helps heal colonial wounds
- Gratitude for the womb connects us to generations - Honoring our wombs honors all those who came before us
About the Host
I’m Iris Josephina—functional hormone specialist, orthomolecular hormone coach, and entrepreneur. Through Cycle Seeds and The Inner Rhythms Podcast, I support people in reconnecting with their cyclical nature, deepening body literacy, and reclaiming hormonal harmony from a place of sovereignty and embodied knowledge. Most people know me from Instagram, where I share stories, tools, and inspiration on cyclical living, menstrual cycles, fertility, hormones and more.
Let’s stay connected:
📸 Instagram: @cycleseeds
💻Visit the Cycle Seeds website
