Sinahal, Mayan Midwife, directed by Gleny Torres, offers an intimate portrait of Doña Crispina and Doña Rafaela, experienced Mayan midwives whose herbalist knowledge and tactile approaches to prenatal care—likened to “ultrasounds with their hands”—highlight ancestral medical practices deeply embedded in community life.
Operating predominantly in Yucatán towns such as Mérida, Chumbec, Hocabá, Celestún, and Progreso, they serve both local residents and foreigners seeking natural childbirth.
Through observational footage and in-depth interviews, the film examines the cultural significance of Maya midwifery, Indigenous epistemologies, and the intergenerational transmission of healing arts—and how these coexist and resist within a modern medical system. This work is compelling to scholars of ethnomedicine, Indigenous studies, gender, and cultural resilience in Latin American ethnographic cinema.
