MENTAL AGAVE LLC
WINTER SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Mental Agave is about exploring the human condition. Who are we as a species? How does each of us tick? What drives our interpersonal behavior? What does our culture say about us? These are some of the questions we aim to answer here. Biomedicine, anthropology, psychology, and philosophy all come together here at Mental Agave. By reading our pages, you will have a deeper understanding of what it means to be human and along the way, perhaps you’ll have a better understanding of who you are as a person. How did we evolve from simple animal behavior to the complex modern lifestyles we have today? Mental Agave looks at the science behind it and brings you the interesting stuff. Responsible for most of the posts at Mental Agave (especially the long ones nobody takes the time to read), Fernando lives in Orlando, Florida. Yes, he actually thinks Florida is the best state and spends all of his time at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, but has been known to take time off to write an article or two. The man thinks science generally explains why things happen a lot better than the horoscope does, so he writes about science and doesn’t write anything about the horoscope. He also writes about other stuff, of course; especially his two main interests psychology and anthropology (which are science too, so maybe he just writes about science and nothing else). Fernando is a student of human beings and how their minds work. According to his Ashley Madison bio, Fernando loves the outdoors, appreciates the convenience of Netflix, and often wonders how they pack so many varied southwestern flavors into the powder atop a Doritos Cool Ranch tortilla chip. Either we are adorable or you really hate what we said (or more than likely we messed something up). Regardless, if you feel the irresistible urge to communicate directly with us (believe me… we understand), this is the page for you to do so. Please understand that we do not respond to really incredibly rude messages or commercial solicitation through this page. Today, diseases are the biggest threat to isolated tribes. A single person making contact with an isolated tribe can easily lead to 200 people dying. Measles, small pox, and the flu are but a few of the diseases that can decimate an indigenous population. With no established biological immunity and lack of proper medical treatment, surviving the diseases is difficult. In fact, when official government contact is made, vaccines are often administered in an attempt to stave off an epidemic. But viruses aren’t the only threat to these isolated people. In places like Brazil, agriculture and development are constantly encroaching on the territory of these isolated tribes, leading to conflict. Recently, near Brazil’s border with Peru, a group of isolated people from the Chitonahua tribe emerged from the forest and reported that their group had been attacked by what were likely loggers or traffickers (languages in the region are related, making it possible for some isolated tribes to communicate with other non-isolated groups). One of the Indians carried (but had no idea how to use) a rifle, clearly indicating that the tribe had come across outsiders before. Older members of the tribe had been killed and their homes had been set ablaze. The emergence of the group highlights the horrors faced by tribesmen if the outsiders they come into contact with aren’t exactly friendly. For a rifle-equipped logger with an ill-temper, arrows and spears are little threat.