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History
Starting around 900 A.D, before the rise of the great Prehispanic civilizations like Aztec and Maya, the Yakis, Zapotechs, Tarahumaras and Seris indians, who lived in the North of Mexico and South of USA (States of California, New Mexico and Texas, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Baja California, Sonora and Sinaloa) believed that if a man know his primitive spirit or Nahual, he can use it to cure the people and practice magic.
Many primitive drawings in old caves show people like werewolves. In the Aztec empire the Nahuales were protecters for Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec god of the war and sacrifice. The legend said that a Nahual can put away his skin and transform into a werecreature. Many Aztec and colonial hunters said that in the night they killed an animal and the next day it turned into a man.
"The Nahual only can morph in the night and he attack our babies with hellish spells", said people during the Colonial times (1500-1800 A.D.). The Santa Inquisition (the Catholic tribunal that punished Jews, witches, and the generally non-Catholic) hunted Nahuales for many years. But people believed in their power and sometimes protected them, especially in the Indian towns.
Most anthropologists agree that the tradition of these spirits continue in all modern Mexican cities and towns, and many have at least one Nahual acting for these spirits.
In modern days Carlos Castaneda, a South American anthropologist, has published many books since 1960 about his experiences with Don Juan, a Nahual. Thanks to the secret rituals and herbs (Peyotl) taught by Don Juan, he has been able to morph several time into a werecreature and to reach his inner Nahual. According to modern-day Mexican indigenous beliefs, the Nahuales can shapeshift by performing anyone of the following: jumping over a wooden cross, getting into deep sleep, putting on an animal skin, or covering their bodies with an ointment made of herbs.
Behavior
Once they have shape-shifted, Nahuales can run the lengths with no difficulty to steal corn of chickens, and to fight other Nahuales that pretend to invade their territories. Such indigenous people's legends say that once in animal form, the Nahual can get killed if wounded, but in case he survive, the man or woman behind the beast will show scars resulting from the wounds inflicted to them while in animal shape.
Remedy
Stoning, or gun-shooting is the way to kill a Nahual or Mexican werewolf. They can also be killed by using holy water, fire or by hanging them. In the Mexican state of Tlaxcala where witches are known as "tlahuelpuchi" and reputated to turn into fearsome coyotes at night, parents leave by the bedside in the kid's room a mirror reflecting the sleeping child, garlic on their doors and a knife or a pair of scissors under the pillow.
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