Los cuna y sus saberes médicos. La “ciencia” de los “bárbaros” bajo la mirada del mundo ilustrado

This article analyzes some aspects of the medical knowledge of the Cuna indigenous people during the 18th century. It explores topics such as the representation of the phenomenon of health/ illness, the specialization of medical authorities, the diagnostic system, and the treatment and pharmacopeia involved in the healing procedures. However, this view was biased by the point of view of the agents of the Spanish Empire who were attempting to annex those lands and their inhabitants to the colonial system. For this reason, the interpretations considered here reflect both the unknown aspects of the cultural heritage of those peoples and a considerable part of the symbolic frame the colonizers created to legitimize their aspiration to establish their dominion upon this faraway frontier.