There were also some other random bits of information in the video. For example, there are rules about what the new mother can and can't eat after giving birth. Were she to eat avocado, her kid's private parts would get inflamed; but there's no harm in her eating as much maize as she can. Also, after the birth, the placenta is buried in one of two ways - and thus the sex of the next child is determined.
In the next room, there was a re-enaction of a birthing scene; notice how the woman is kneeling in front of her husband, with the midwife working behind her.
Another weird aspect in the film was that they mentioned the use of coca cola in their traditional (!) rituals. What exactly is traditional about coca cola? But as they explained, soft drinks only replaced the sugar cane juice that had been used in earlier times. Still - coca cola? Seriously?
The museum also had an explanation of the different kinds of prayers that are used in various situations, and how many candles of specific colors have to be used for the prayer to succeed. One of them is directed to the maize god and done just before going to work in the maize field. In my opinion, the reason why this prayer helps - it is supposed to keep workers from getting injured while they are waving about with a machete - is that it focuses the workers attention. It gives them a minute or two to concentrate on the task at hand. Surely, if you were to work with a machete and your thoughts were all over the place, there would be a much greater risk of injuries.
Outside, the museum had a great herb garden showing the plants and their useful parts, and explaining the purpose for which they can be used. In the middle of the garden, there was this small building:
The building is called temazcal, and it is something like a Mayan sauna. There is a mythology surrounding the temazcal, of course - you are thought to enter the womb of mother earth and be cleansed in the process - but the effects are pretty much the same as in a sauna, I'd say.
