The Making of an Indigenous Midwife

Doña María Méndez Hernández of Chiapas, Mexico, comes from a long line of traditional midwives.

More than 80 years ago, Doña María was born into the hands of her grandmother, Mercedes, a Mayan midwife from the Tzeltal region of southern Mexico. And just like her grandmother, mother, great-aunt and great-grandmother, Doña María became a midwife.

Her mother used to say: “How could you not be a midwife, when you carry the lineage of all the midwives and healers in the family?” 

She remembers the first time she delivered a baby. Relatives went to the hospital with a woman in labor. The health staff told them it was too early, that the baby might come by dawn. A week passed, and still no baby. Desperate, they came looking for Doña María. She and her husband walked narrow trails by flashlight to reach the community. She examined the woman and saw that the baby was in a potentially dangerous position. They asked her to adjust it. After doing so, she told them, “Your baby will be born at 5 a.m.” And it was. Although she asked them not to tell anyone, word spread. From then on, people began to seek her out.

When caring for a pregnant woman, before labor, Doña María asks the family to prepare water, alcohol, soap, clean cloths, oils, and plants like myrtle and chamomile. She also asks the mother how she prefers to give birth—kneeling or in bed. 

Her role begins well before the birth itself. When women come to her for prenatal care, she emphasizes the importance of prenatal visits, ultrasounds, and taking vitamins: “Because sometimes the baby doesn’t come right. And if you don’t take care of yourself, you might suffer during childbirth—and we don’t want that.” 

She speaks to husbands as well: “You have to care for your wife. If she wants meat, buy it. Save your money. She may give birth at home but she may not.”

Her daughter Petrona, now 62, has followed in her footsteps. She began as her mother’s assistant—bathing the baby, keeping the fire going, preparing the supplies. Now, women seek her out directly. 

Doña María has spent a lifetime accompanying women through pregnancy, childbirth and their postpartum period. In “catching babies” she holds the future in her hands, and continues to pass on the knowledge and experience she received from midwives who came before her, the traditions that ensure future generations can thrive.