The Mazatec Indians call Maria Sabina a sabia, one who is wise. Her special area of expertise is the use of teonanacatl or los nifios santos, the divine mushrooms. Maria Sabina is also a poor Mazateca, but one of the most celebrated Mexican Indians of all time. Maria Sabina's life was one of physical hardship and personal Joss. She was born in 1894, and her father died when she was quite young. As a result, she worked in the fields, frequently with little food to sustain her. She initially observed a mushroom velada (or night vigil) when she was about six, and originally ate the psilocybin mushrooms for physical sustenance and to overcome hunger. From adolescence until after the death of her second husband (when she was in her 40's), Maria Sabina's use of the mushrooms was sporadic because of the prohibition against sexual activity before ingesting los nifios santos (the little saints). She became convinced that the mushrooms gave wisdom, that they cured illness and that they were the repository of these powers because they represented the blood of Jesus Christ.