The Puckster Helps You Out With → American Magical Traditions Series #2: Curanderismo
Welcome to my resource series on American Magical Traditions. Below the cut, you'll find my attempt at helping you out with understanding Curanderismo - what it is, what it isn't, a brief history of the tradition, the major components of its practice, and a brief outline of some of the more prominent rituals of this tradition.
Disclaimer: I am not a practitioner of a great many of the traditions that will be found in this series. As such, there are likely to be elements which I am either not aware of or lack full understanding of due to my position as an outsider. I have done my best to research the tradition as fully as possible in the hopes of presenting it for use as an aspect of your character or setting from an RP or writing perspective. At the end of this guide, you'll find a list of links to the resources I used to create it.
In no way should this guide be considered definitive. It is merely a basic level guide to this tradition. If you wish to focus on it as part of your RP or story, I can only encourage you to do more in depth research to gain an even richer understanding.
As always, what you find in this guide is merely an attempt to be helpful. You are in no way obligated to use the information provided here.
Curanderismo
What Is It?
Curanderismo is a Latin American folk healing tradition with characteristics specific to the area where it is practiced. It blends religious belief, prayer, and faith with the use of herbal remedies, massage, and other traditional medical practices to heal. It's been in the Americas for hundreds of years and is also known as Mexican Traditional Medicine, medicina del campo, and traditional folk medicine.
Curanderismo practicioners are holistic healers. Their methods involve treating the whole body as opposed to symptomatic treatment methods used in more common forms of Western medicine. Curanderismo is often considered to be a Mestizo, or syncretic, system of healing. Depending on the curandera’s religious, cultural and/or tribal background --if any, it may, or may not, also have Catholic, Sephardic, African and/or magico-religious influences.
The terms used to name a practitioner of this tradition are varied and include curandera, mujer de conocimiento (woman of knowledge), mujer de medicina (medicine woman), and occasionally shaman. The term used depends upon the practitioner's faith and the system in which they were raised. Each practitioner has a distinctive practice that is most often learned within the context of her family, community or tribe.
What Isn't It?
Voodoo. Though it shares some aspects of that tradition - particularly for practitioners with African and Catholic influences - it is not a religious belief system the way Voodoo is. The rituals, prayers, and herbal uses are all geared towards the healing of their subject, who is generally not the practitioner.
Satanism. Despite certain people's insistence that all traditional practices are inherently tied to the Christian Devil, this is, again, not one of them.
Chinese Holistic Medicine. Though having certain similarities, this tradition formed and evolved entirely separate from the path that led to Chinese Holistic Medicine. They are not connected and should not be used as interchangeable terms.
Human Sacrifice. Just because the Aztecs and Mayans were involved does not mean anyone is getting killed. That is not at all what this tradition is about.
A Brief History
Curanderismo, in Mexico at least, is based on Aztec, Mayan, and Spanish influences. The ancient native cultures believed that a delicate balance existed between health, nature, and religion. Illness occurred when one of these areas was out of balance, similar to the Greek and medieval belief in humors that had to be kept in balance to promote health and wellbeing.
The use of nature's resources was very important to the native cultures. In the fifteenth century, the Huaxtepec Garden was developed by the Aztec leader Montezuma I. A collection of several thousand medicinal plants, the Aztec priests used this garden to perform research on the medicinal properties of the plants. However when the Spanish conquistadors came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they destroyed the garden and all of the priests' research because the Catholic Church considered these "sciences" to be blasphemous. Although the written knowledge was destroyed, the plant wisdom was remembered, passed down by the native peoples, and became an integral part of curanderismo.
The Spanish missionaries who were sent to the New World introduced the native peoples to the Catholic religion and European healing philosophies. Prayers to Catholic saints were soon integrated into healing rituals. Another doctrine that was passed on to the native peoples by the Europeans was their belief in witchcraft, sorcery, and other superstitions, and the philosophy that illness is often caused by supernatural forces. As the native and Spanish cultures intermingled over the centuries, a new culture was formed, as was the folk medicine of curanderismo..
Terms and Items
(Note: Many of the below terms are taken from the site of a curandera who is from an Aztec/Mayan influenced tradition of Curanderismo. Other traditions may use other terms to describe the same thing.)
Curar - Spanish, from the verb “to heal.” The word curandera/o (female/male healer) incorporates these qualities: “cura,” a priest; healing, and humor as the word is often used in response to a witticism, as in que cura!.
Ofrenda - A gift to a healer, teacher, elder or peer as a sign of respect and/or affection. May be monetary, art, food, feathers, medicines, etc. Traditionally a pouch of tobacco (or copal) is offered to curanderas/curanderas when requesting healing and by students or people to a teacher or elder as a sign of respect for sharing teachings.
Copal - resin from certain pine trees used in Mesoamerican ceremonies.
Ometeotl (Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs also known as Mexika) - The Creative Force of the Universe whom some may call God, Goddess or Creator. It consists of Ome = two, Teotl = divine force or energy, in acknowledgement that there is both feminine and masculine within the Source of all; the Energy that permeates everything. This sacred duality, which springs from the vast non-duality of Ometeotl is known as Ome Cihuatl (two woman) and Ome Tecuhtli (two man). Our Ancestors understood that everything is made up of energy and that from Ometeotl springs duality - on this plane of existence as Spirit/Matter, Order/Chaos, Day/Night, Sun/Moon, Life/Death, Hot/Cold, etc - as complementary forces. Used to seal our prayers and/or during a speech in acknowledgement that we are all related. You will often hear persons in a group also say, "Ometeotl" to acknowledge hearing and agreeing with someone's good words.
Four Winds or Four Guardians. - Quetzalcoatl (East), Xipe Totec (West), Tezkatl ipoca (North), Huitzilipochtli (South) The four cardinal points: East, West, North,
The Four Grandfathers (Cuatro Abuelos) - the Four Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air
Chaneques Duendes - Elemental forces in nature that can be mischievous or deliberately frighten people who do not properly acknowledge them or who fail to follow spiritual laws.
Temazcal or Temazcalli - Mesoamerican sweat lodge
Popoxcomitl (Nahuatl) or Sahumador (Spanish) - Ceremonial incense burner used by curanderas/os and ceremonial leaders. Used to burn copal and other dried herbs for offering prayers and spiritual cleansings.
Mal de Ojo - the "Evil Eye" that may affect infants or women and caused by a person with a "strong eye" (energy, force) looking with admiration or jealousy at another person. Mal de Ojo in children is avoided by touching an infant when admiring or complimenting it. One may interpret a strong direct look as an attempt to send someone this illness. Headaches, crying, irritability, and restlessness are common symptoms, accompanied by stomach ailments.
Empacho - Intestinal obstruction and is characterized by abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, anorexia, or gas and bloating.
Verguenza - Shame
Envidia - Acute jealousy or envy, directed toward another. It can resemble anxiety, upper respiratory issues (similar to colds), the feeling of having a ball in the pit of the stomach.
Nervios - "Sickness of the nerves" marked by anxiety, palpitations, symptoms of depression, or uncharacteristic behaviors. Commonly term used for other types of mental health issues, as a courtesy, so may be necessary to refer a client who suffers from nervios to mental health practitioner as needed.
Bilis - Strong suppressed anger, usually turned inward.
Muina - Anger expressed outwardly.
Trabajos Mal Puesto (Hex, Whammy, Curse) - Not common. Placed by someone who works with negative forces. Symptoms may include a host of somatic complaints such as anxiety, and gastro intestinal problems.
Mal Aire/Mal Viento - Literally, Bad Wind. Breathing in cold night air, moving rapidly from a warm to a cold ambient environment, or working up a sweat and not allowing for a proper cooling down period causes illness. The term is also used to identify an elemental force that can cause illness or bad luck which is transmitted through the air/wind, caused by a person's exposure to mal aire when visiting certain places such as cemeteries, houses of the recently deceased, ravines, rock out croppings, and gorges. They said that mal is naturally drawn to and gathers at these places, or that it is emitted by spirit beings that occupy these places. Upon contact, mal aire sticks to a person and over a short period of time it penetrates and pollute s the entire body. Symptoms are associated with mal aire/mal viento include combinations of coldness, diarrhea, headache, aching of the back of the neck (occipital area) vomiting, paleness, fatigue, and shaking
Pláticas (Heart to Heart talks) - a unique cultural counseling style used by curanderas/os. May also be used to refer to presentations. Much like in psychology, the practitioner seeks first to resolve things by clearing the air, so to speak. In many cases, this can resolve the trouble.
Limpias (also known as Barridas) - Spiritual cleansings, done by "sweeping" the body with a bundle of herbs such as rosemary, rue and sage. Often this is accompanied by sprinkling consecrated floral waters on the client. Alternatively a sacred feather may be used to remove negative energies from the client's physical and energetic bodies. At times a fresh unbroken raw egg may be used and is rubbed over the body, then broken, and placed in a glass of water, allowing the practitioner to "read" the person's energy so the treatment can be individualized.
Susto and Espanto (literally, "fright;" more commonly known as soul loss) - Both a type of ritual as well as the condition for which they are supposed to treat. The ritual is supposed to allow the subject to regain the parts of their soul lost to the trauma. Susto may be acute includes a variety of complaints such as chronic insomnia coupled with nightmares, a feeling of disassociation or the inability to concentrate on tasks, glassy eyes, rapid pulse rate even when resting. Susto may be caused by car accidents, molestation, divorce, physical abuse, mental or emotional abuse, or death of a loved one. In the United States, known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Espanto is a deeper, more long-term form of this.
A Glimpse at Rituals
The rituals for this tradition vary from style to style. A healing ritual, for example, may include holding relevant photographs or the burial of clothing or other item that may be associated with the traumatic event that is creating stress or illness. It could involved fasting, abstaining from sexual relations for a specified period of time, singing, drumming, and/or drinking specially prepared herbal infusions. There may even be participation in a sweat lodge, prior to the ceremony, to purify the body and soul in preparation for the ceremony.
The important thing to remember is that the focus of any and all rituals, prayers, or ceremonies for the practitioner of this tradition is to help make the subject better. It is a healing art which is recognized by licensed doctors for it's ability to help promote well-being and wellness in those who utilize the services of a practitioner.
Links
The webpage of Grace Sesma, practicing Curandera
Yahoo! Health - Curanderismo
Curanderismo: Mexican American Folk Healing by Robert T. Trotter, Juan Antonio Chavira
As always, this is only a tiny sampling of what this tradition is about. If you wish to use this as an aspect of your character or part of your setting, I encourage you to do more research on the subject yourself. There are a number of books out there about this as well as people like Grace Sesma who are still practicing this tradition and may be willing to speak with you regarding questions you may have provided you are polite and respectful.