 Polyanthus Tuberose By Ana Elena Sastrias, IPF Australia Chair and Natural Perfumery Teacher An Olfactory Landscape Through History In 2018 I decided to visit my family and friends back in Mexico and took the opportunity to get in contact with relevant people working with Mexican Botanical Raw Materials and producing Ethnobotanical Essential Oils from Mexican sourced plants, flowers, seeds, gums and resins at the Botanic Garden and Research Institute “Herbario CICY - Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán”, where I met up with Dr Luz María Calvo in Mérida, Yucatán. Among the most aromatic raw materials used in modern perfumery, it is the Mexican “Nardo” known as “Polyanthus Tuberose”. This flower “Nardo” or “Polyanthus Tuberose” was used by the Mayans as a Soap as this plant contains high levels of sapogenines and rizomas, ingredients that can make soap. In Nahuatl, this plant was called “amole” that means “soap” or “omixochitl” that means “boney flower”. In Mexico, there are 20 species of “Polyanthus”. These “Polyanthus” have been grown and domesticated since the Pre-Hispanic Era among the Mayan Civilization. Its fine seductive floral fragrance is found all over the world in fine perfumes. The essential oil extracted from these flowers have the following properties: anti-fungal, anti- bacterial, used in wound healing treatments, it is also used as an insecticide and herbicide. During that visit I also spent time reading relevant books about Aztec and Mayan Civilizations and their Olfactory Experiences in Rituals at the Hemeroteca Nacional, UNAM in Mexico City. The Historical Research Institute in Mexico (IIH) states that in order to understand the History of Mexico, it is necessary to know the Aromas appropriate to each Period in History. Dr Elodie Dupey García and Guadalupe Pinzón Ríos are working together in the reconstruction of smells from Ancient Times up to 20th Century in Mexico in order to recover the Olfactory Memory from each Period in time. They consider Olfaction, not just as a physiological activity, but also as a way to interact in Society and Culture triggered by different stimuli bringing a diversity of values in Society through time. The smells have a meaning in Society. For instance, a fresh clean smell compared to a smell of a warm “tortilla” or a fresh bread. The behaviour in humans and other species is definitively influenced by what we smell and this can trigger behaviours in our relationships and also can be part of our rituals. This reconstruction of ancient olfactory landscape is being done through research on Ancient Texts, Nahuatl, Mayan and other Indigenous languages and Archeological Objects, aside of Ethnobotanical Research. Dr Elodie Dupey García recognises that it is quite challenging to recover the original smells of the Mesoamerican civilizations due to the length of time and the exposure to the wind. Archeological, iconography and linguistic and historical sources have been useful as a base to learn more about the aromas that were characteristic of the Pre-hispanic Era.  In religious rituals, Aztec priests were scarifying themselves by offering their blood to be then incinerated to the gods. The remains of this type of smells can be described in pictograms from Codex as images of ancient practices and beliefs. The same as in the narrative stories from the Spaniards witnessing such sacrifices in the Fall of the Pre-Hispanic Civilizations. After this collection of information, the questions that were important to ask for this research were: - Which are the ideas behind the Aromas in the Pre-Hispanic Civilizations? - Which kind of categorisation they assigned to Olfactive Sensations and which aromas were more relevant or bringing much attention to Pre-Hispanic society? - With which kind of concepts they associated each aroma? La Société Américaniste in Paris, France states that since the 18th and 19th Century, the intellectual elite put more importance to a Visual aspect of the world, more than the Tactile, Gustative, Olfactive aspects of our lives as a society. Since then, we have gradually been missing the use of our Sense of Smell and we now will need to re-train this important Sense. Since “reading” has been a marker in society to learn science, develop technology and be part of a cultural landscape and participate in the workforce. The priorities to exercise senses aside of our Vision and Hearing, were left behind, regarded almost as a non- important. It is since 2020 when Covid-19 pandemic started and we experienced as Humanity some of the effects of Covid-19 of losing the Sense of Smell, that Science is starting to catchup with studies and research in the consequences of losing the Sense of Smell in Human Beings and how to recover the Sense of Smell by doing Olfaction Training.  Aromas and fragrances were sacred in Ancient Times in Mexico, pointing this smell to the “Sahumerio o Sahumador de Copal” (Copal’s Smoke recipients). The resin of Copal was burnt in diverse ritualistic contexts. The resulting fumes from burning the resin of Copal were fundamental to the rituals and ceremonies.  Copal This Aromatic Offerings to the gods comprised herbs, gums and resins that were burnt and their combustion created aromatic smoke central to various rituals. The recipient used to burn the raw materials is called “Sahumador or Sahumerio”. They were of different kind, some were basic, some others more luxurious. Those artefacts were found in archeological sites. Murals and Codex describe the various raw materials used to make aromatic smokes and the use of “sahumadores or sahumerios”. Also, they could give us some information of which characteristics the olfactory landscapes had in the Religious Festivities. The aromas could be concentrated in the Ritual Activity derived by the raw materials used in the ceremonies taken places either in restrictive access places or open space ceremonies or around the reach of people participating in the ceremony.  The Offering of Fire was a ritual that burnt Copal resin in wood in front of the images of their deities.
This Offering was executed by each family when the Sun rises, also in temples four times during the day, and five times during the night, this was done to celebrate the God of the Sun and the God of the Night respectively. The aromas were given a Social, Medicinal and Ritualistic role associated with Cosmological beliefs in the Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican Era. The mesoamericans conceived the World of the Dead as a putrefactive smell. Putting in perspective the importance of the Sense of Smell in Ancient Civilisation and Indigenous communities living in Jungles, it does make sense when being surrounded by a very thick lush and green jungle, our Vision will not be enough to detect any danger or find your way to reach out other community or designated destination. The smells of each community could be an identifiable factor to guide us in our journey. The smells of each town bring an identity that can be part of our olfactory memory map. Dr Elodie Dupey García has been working on the Olfactory Sensitivity Project applied into the History of Smells in Mexico since 2014. Her book “De olfato. Aproximaciones a los Olores en la Historia de México” (Olfaction. Olfactory approximations to Aromas through out the History of Mexico) has been published since 2020. References: Gaceta UNAM - Agosto 2021 - Frías, Leonardo Olores y Sensibilidad Olfativa en Mesoamérica - Dupey García, Elodie CICY Newsletter Article - Aromas de México para el mundo, el caso del Nardo: Polianthes Tuberosa - Calvo, Luz María
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 Queen of Hungary By Creezy Courtoy, Perfume Historian and Anthropologist The Turbulent Journey of French Perfumery Through History (Part 2) Throughout history, humanity's quest to bridge the divine and the earthly realms has often been mediated through the aromatic allure of perfumes and spices. However, this journey has not been without its dark epochs, notably during periods marked by the overwhelming influence of the Catholic Church, such as the Crusades, the medieval era, and the Inquisition. Despite these challenges, the evolution of perfumery, much like science, experienced moments of pause rather than a complete halt. Innovative and pragmatic individuals emerged, defying the restrictions to maintain the therapeutic application of perfumes, utilizing flowers, plants, essential oils, aromatic vinegars, and "miraculous waters." From the 14th century onward, scent waters became highly fashionable. Amidst the backdrop of religious restrictions, these aromatic waters infused with medicinal herbs were soon heralded as miraculous. A notable example occurred in 1380 when a monk presented the Queen of Hungary with a concoction that would later be known as "Eau de la Reine de Hongrie." Legend has it that this potion rejuvenated the aging queen, relieving her of rheumatism and gout, and she was so transformed that she married the King of Poland. Similarly, in Florence, the Santa Maria de Novella convent became famous for its own miraculous water, the Aqua della Regina. These divine waters, including “Eau sans Pareille,” “Melissa Water,” and “Carmes Water,” were consumed or used topically to cure a plethora of ailments. The advent of printing in the mid-15th century marked a pivotal moment for the dissemination of knowledge. This technological breakthrough enabled the rapid expansion of perfumery science, allowing research, particularly that brought by Arab scientists, to be published widely despite the challenges of the era, including the Inquisition. This led to a more accelerated evolution of perfumery science and technology. By the end of the 16th century, the first German publications on botany and distillation processes were released, detailing the composition of scents and the workings of alembics. These publications facilitated the spread of new knowledge and heralded the rise of modern, alcohol-based perfumery. The 17th century witnessed the emergence of great scientific academies, fostering a community of scholars dedicated to the advancement of knowledge. The Academy of Experiments was founded in Florence in 1657, followed by the Royal Society in London in 1660, and the publication of the first scientific journal, "Philosophical Transactions," in 1665. Colbert's establishment of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris in 1666 was a significant milestone, succeeded by the formation of academies in Berlin (1700), Uppsala, Sweden (1710), and St. Petersburg (1725). These developments not only underscored the importance of scientific inquiry but also played a crucial role in the advancement of perfumery. As knowledge spread and the understanding of distillation improved, perfumery transitioned from a craft shrouded in mystery and superstition to a refined science, blending the art of fragrance with the principles of chemistry and botany. This era laid the groundwork for the sophisticated world of perfumery we appreciate today, where scents are not just a means of divine connection or medicinal remedy but also an expression of beauty, identity, and culture. Creezy Courtoy is teaching the history and anthropology of perfume at the Natural Perfumery Academy.
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