Moche Ceramic Depicting Curandero. Larco Museum Collection Lima, Peru.

A curandero (or curandera for a female) is a traditional folk healer or shaman in Hispanic America, who is dedicated to curing physical and/or spiritual illnesses. The Larco Museum (Spanish: ) is located in the Pueblo Libre District in Lima, Peru. ... A traditional healer in Côte dIvoire Folk medicine refers collectively to procedures traditionally used for treatment of illness and injury, aid to childbirth, and maintenance of wellness. ... The shaman is an intellectual and spiritual figure who is regarded as possessing power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, primarily that of a healer ( medicine man). The shaman provides medical care, and serves other community needs during crisis times, via supernatural means (means... Hispanic America (Hispanoamérica in Spanish) refers to those parts of the Americas inhabited by Spanish-speaking peoples. ...

Description

They are often respected members of the community, being highly religious and spiritual. Literally translated as "healer" from Spanish, curanderos often use herbs and other natural remedies to cure illnesses, but their primary method of healing is the supernatural. This is because they believe that the cause of many illnesses are lost malevolent spirits, a lesson from God, or a curse.

There are different types of curanderos / curanderas. “Yerberos” are primarily herbalists. “Hueseros and Sabaderos” are bone/muscle therapists who emphasize physical ailments. "Parteras" are midwives.

Curanderos treat ailments like espanto (Spanish for "shock"), empacho (Spanish for "surfeit"), susto ("fright"), mal aire (literally, "bad air"), and mal de ojo ("evil eye") with religious rituals, ceremonial cleansing, and prayers. While curanderos are capable of treating these ailments (and do), in reality they seldom do, for many ailments, such as empacho, can be treated by family members. Often Curanderos employ the use of sung Icaros to contact certain spirits to aid them in their healing work. Susto is as a folk illness, specifically a fright sickness with strong psychological overtones. ... John Phillip, The Evil Eye (1859), a self-portrait depicting the artist sketching a Spanish gypsy who thinks she is being given the evil eye The evil eye is a folklore belief that the envy elicited by the good luck of fortunate people may result in their misfortune, whether it... John Phillip, The Evil Eye (1859), a self-portrait depicting the artist sketching a Spanish gypsy who thinks she is being given the evil eye The evil eye is a folklore belief that the envy elicited by the good luck of fortunate people may result in their misfortune, whether it... Icaros are medicine songs, used as part of the toolkit of Shamans in the Peruvian Amazon Basin. ...

Remedies also vary between regions, in Andean countries the guinea pig is often used as a ceremonial medium. The word Andean refers to the geographic area in and around the Andes Mountains of South America, and to the indigenous peoples that inhabit the area, such as the Inca. ... For other uses, see Guinea pig (disambiguation). ...

These methods of treating health problems often lead to conflict with modern medicine, because doctors reject the curandero's healing as superstitious and worthless. As a result, curanderos have often experienced discrimination and been likened to witches, both by the medical profession and non-hispanic communities. However, because of the importance of the supernatural in traditional Mexican culture, these insults generally lead only to disagreement and rejection of modern medicine by traditionally-minded Mexicans. Other medical doctors, recognizing the benefits of the spiritual and emotional healing offered by curanderos, have begun to work in conjunction with them, supporting their use of rituals and ceremonies in the healing of the sick while insisting that patients receive modern medical attention as well. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Witchcraft. ... The culture of Mexico reflects the complexity of Mexicos history through the blending of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican civilizations and the European culture, imported during Spains 300-year colonization of Mexico. ...

The Moche people of ancient Peru often depicted curanderos in their ceramics. ^[1] The Moche civilization (alternately, the Mochica culture, Early Chimu, Pre-Chimu, Proto-Chimu, etc. ...

Curanderos in Fiction

Curanderos, probably because of the mystery and intrigue that surrounds them, are frequently included in fictional works:

• "Bless Me, Ultima", by the Chicano author Rudolfo Anaya.
• The life and writing of Miguel Ruiz was also influenced by curanderismo, since his mother was a curandera.
• The original screenplay for the film Viva Zapata! involved a curandera predicting the birth and death of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. The original played much more heavily on the supernatural than the chosen script.
• "Eduardo The Healer", is a documentary that follows the life of a Peruvian curandero.
• "Forests of the Heart", by Charles de Lint features a curandera protagonist.
• "So Far From God", by Chicana author Ana Castillo, features the curandera character Doña Felicia.
• "E-Fed World", Handeler Jonathan, The team of Link and Marcus Moore create the Culture Curenderos

Cover of the April 1994 printing Bless Me, Ultima is a novel by Rudolfo Anaya, published in 1972. ... For other uses, see Chicano (disambiguation). ... Rudolfo A. Anaya was born in Pastura, New Mexico on October 30, 1937. ... Don Miguel Ángel Ruiz (born 1952) is a Mexican author, shaman, and teacher. ... Viva Zapata! is a 1952 biographical drama film directed by Elia Kazan. ... Mexican may have several meanings. ... Revolutionary, when used as a noun, is a person who either advocates or actively engages in some kind of revolution. ... For other uses, see Emiliano Zapata (disambiguation). ... Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian fantasy author and Celtic folk musician. ... A Chicano is a person of Mexican descent born in the United States. ... Ana Castillo signing a copy of Massacre of the Dreamers, May 25, 2006 Ana Castillo (born 1953) is a Chicana novelist, poet, short story writer, and essayist. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ...

See also

• Machi
• Kalku
• Plastic shaman
• Shamanism
• Witch doctor

A Machi is a shaman or (usually) a good witch in the Mapuche culture of South America; and is also an important character and the Mapuche mythology. ... Kalku or Calcu, in Chilean folklore and the Mapuche mythology, is a witch or shaman, usually an evil one, but not necessarily. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the practice of shamanism; for other uses, see Shaman (disambiguation). ... A witch doctor (in southern Africa known as a Sangoma) often refers to exotic healers that believe that maladies are caused by magic and are therefore best cured by it, as opposed to science or developed medicine. ...

References

1. ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.

• Riding, Alan. Distant Neighbors: A Portrait of the Mexicans. New York: Vintage, 2000.
• Robert T. Trotter II/Trotter II, Robert T., Juan Antonio Chavira/Chavira, Juan Antonio. Curanderismo: Mexican American Folk Healing. University of Georgia Press, Second Edition, October 1997.