Describe the traditional methods of HEALING of selected communities of the Hispanic populations.
HEALTH and ILLNESS in the Hispanic Populations ■ 299
Figure 12–7 A traditional community resource Yerberia in Mission, Texas.
In Catholic churches in communities with Hispanic populations, such as San Antonio, Texas, or Chimayo, New Mexico (Figure 12–11), it is not unusual to see statues covered with flowers and votive figures, such as those in Figures 12–12 and 12–13. These miniature articles are known in Spanish as milagros, meaning “miracles,” ex-votos, or promesas. They are offered to a saint in thanks for answer- ing a person’s prayers for HEALING, success, a good marriage, and so forth. The milagros are made from wax, wood, bone, or a variety of metals and are an integral part of an ancient folk tradition found in many cultures (Egan, 1991, pp. 1–2). This practice, too, originated in Spain and even today one can see and purchase these objects in countless churches (Kearney & Medrano, 2001, p. 115).
Curanderismo
There are no specific rules for knowing who in the community uses the services of folk healers. Not all Mexicans do, and not all Mexicans believe in their precepts. Initially, it was thought that only the poor used a folk healer, or curandero, because they were unable to get treatment from the larger, institutionalized health care establishments. It now appears, however, that the use of HEALERS occurs widely throughout the Mexican population. Some people try to use HEALERS exclusively, whereas others use them along with modern medical care. The HEALERS do not usually advertise, but they are well known throughout the population because of informal community and kinship networks.
300 ■ Chapter 12
Figures 12–8 and 12–9 Samples of amulets and candles sold in Sr. Garcia’s Yerberia.
HEALTH and ILLNESS in the Hispanic Populations ■ 301
Figure 12–10 A retalbo that depicts a person praying to the Virgin of San Juan de la Valle for the HEALING of a loved one.
Figure 12–11 An altar in El Santuario de Chinmayo, Chinmayo, New Mexico.
Curanderismo is defined as a medical system (Maduro, 1976). It is a coherent view with historical roots that combine Aztec, Spanish, spiritualis- tic, homeopathic, and scientific elements. There are curanderos practicing in Spain, and there is an established community of curanderos in close proximity to Granada.
The curandero(a) is a holistic healer. The people who seek help from him or her do so for social, physical, and psychological purposes. The curandero(a) can be either a “specialist” or a “generalist,” a full-time or part-time practitio- ner. Mexicans who believe in curanderos consider them to be religious figures.
A curandero(a) may receive the “gift of healing” through 3 means:
1. He or she may be “born” to heal. In this case, it is known from the moment of a curandero(a)’s birth that something unique about this person means that he or she is destined to be a healer.
2. He or she may learn by apprenticeship—that is, the person is taught the ways of healing, especially the use of herbs.
3. He or she may receive a “calling” through a dream, trance, or vision by which contact is made with the supernatural by means of a “patron” (or “caller”), who may be a saint. The “call” comes either during adolescence or during the midlife crisis. This “call” is resisted at first. Later, the person becomes resigned to his or her fate and gives in to the demands of the “calling.”
302 ■ Chapter 12
Figure 12–12 Milagros. This photograph is an example of the assortment of various miniature articles that may be purchased for the nominal cost of $1.00 in botanicas or in a marketplace from traditional people. In this image are crutches, a head, a woman, children and a baby, an arm, a leg, eyes, breasts, a torso, a heart, a car, a horse, a key, a whisky bottle, and others. When a person is experiencing a problem with one of these anatomical areas or objects, he or she may pray for recovery; make a promesa to a saint; and when the person’s prayer is answered, take the milagro to a church and place it near the saint the person prayed to.
Figure 12–13 Milagros placed at the Shrine of Saint Anthony in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Mary in San Antonio, Texas.