Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing

by Eliseo "Cheo" Torres, Timothy L. Sawyer

Eliseo Torres, known as "Cheo," grew up in the Corpus Christi area of Texas and knew, firsthand, the Mexican folk healing practiced in his home and neighborhood. Later in life, he wanted to know more about the plants and rituals of curanderismo. Torres's story begins with his experiences in the Mexican town of Espinazo, the home of the great curandero El Niño Fidencio (1899-1939), where Torres underwent life-changing spiritual experiences. He introduces us to some of the major figures in the tradition, discusses some of the pitfalls of teaching curanderismo, and concludes with an account of a class he taught in which curanderos from Cuernavaca, Mexico, shared their knowledge with students. Part personal pilgrimage, part compendium of medical knowledge, this moving book reveals curanderismo as both a contemplative and a medical practice that can offer new approaches to ancient problems.
From Curandero
". . . for centuries, rattlesnakes were eaten to prevent any number of conditions and illnesses, including arthritis and rheumatism. In Mexico and in other Latin American countries, rattlesnake meat is actually sold in capsule form to treat impotence and even to treat cancer. Rattlesnake meat is also dried and ground and sprinkled into open wounds and body sores to heal them, and a rattlesnake ointment is made that is applied to aches and pains as well."

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Health, Witchcraft, Memoir, Education

180 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2005

Reviews

[Fatema Bastaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Curanderismo is something that deserves to be studied, understood and appreciated in its own right, regardless of its potential utility for modern science. It is one of those areas of cultural studies that is a gateway to history and to the past, and to understanding elements of the present composition of current sociocultural milieus as well. It intersects with the interests and concerns of important movements that are taking place now – not only Hispano-Latino-Indigenous social and political movements in Americas, but also currents of thought challenging and the primacy of reason over feeling. It plays a role in understanding, too, how science, while searching for ways to harness the powers of nature, has marginalized ways of thinking of nature that are inclusive rather than imperialistic, in the same way that the colonizing influences of the Europeans tended to weaken and sometimes destroy the existing institutions of Indigenous peoples who had their own medicines, their own religions, and their own belief systems."

This quote from the last chapter of the book summarizes the significance and quality of what this book is about. Torres does an excellent job of balancing the academic side of the subject but also touching on the real soul and heart of Curanderismo through memoir writing. As a scholar of this subject, he invites you to be open to the world of Mexican folk healing and its mysticism without imposing an unrealistic view of its natural remedies being a quick or practical fix especially in our urbanized way of living. By embracing different traditional forms of healing, we open an avenue that legitimizes folk medicine in a way that can heal the soul and mind. Thanks to writers like Torres, folk healing has a place in our modern lives again along with its medical knowledge, rich culture and history.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Cheo Torres recounts mayor episodes and personalities in his life in Mexican folk healing. Such personalities include El Nino Fidencio, Don Pedrito Jaramillo and Santa Teresa "Teresita" (the most dangerous girl in Mexico). Cheo recounts experiences as a recepient of remedios and the knowledge of plantas passed on from him through his mother. Quick read, written for the masses, very enjoyable and informative. Dr. Cheo's love and passion for his work and the Mexican American community is palpable in his words.

[Adam Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheo Torres guides you, as a friend, through the healing practices he grew up around in the borderland of Texas and Mexico. He details the powerful performative effects of healing through rituals, ointments, touch, plant medicine, and the power of belief — if the belief is strong enough, the healing can work: this is the magic of placebo. He details the lives of curandero/a’s whose practices were drawn from care for the community and the vibratory power to bring healing to others, often for nothing in return. Modern medicine continues to discover that Indigenous practices, utilizing “homeopathic” pathways, are at the forefront of curing cancer, diabetes, and immune disorders, among others, from the use of snake venom to the plants around us.

In a particularly potent chapter, Cheo takes us to his childhood when his mother imparted her ancestral plant medicine wisdom. It was empowering and heartbreaking, to know that these pathways of curiosity are rare nowadays but that texts like this serve as portals to return to the origin of our shared knowledges.

In a practice garnered from a friend of Cheo, the other day I dug a hole in the woods and I verbally emptied my worries to the earth. Did it “work”? I’m not sure that’s the point. I didn’t sleep any better but I also no longer carried those thoughts with me, they were literally buried in the earth.

[Jamie Bronstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fun little book of almost un-connected chapters, each of which touches on some aspect of curanderismo. I'm giving it five stars because it was very helpful in cluing me in to some historical actors who I need to mention in my own work, and also because I burned through it in two days.

[Serenity L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book to study the history of curandismo. And that's what it is. No treatments. Just history

[Reader15_94 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great info on the old ways of healing

[Susieq_reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting. Learned about Cheo’s introduction to curanderismo and why he himself studied the subject.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. This is the first book that I've come across that addresses the curanderos and that in and of itself is important. Many people have been helped or cured by these very special people who possess an ancient knowledge of healing that encompasses the mind, body and spirit. It's heartening to learn that there are those out there actively working to understand and keep the tradition and knowledge alive.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would share more of the practices and family traditions that make curanderos so necessary and gave them credibility from the past to now. Much of this was talking about today's experts in curanderismo and where they are located.
I was surprised to learn that the author and many of his colleagues were centered in and around TAMUK. I didn't know anything about this field of study while I was there.
Left feeling like I didn't learn much aside from the author's background.

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely, assessable introduction to Curandisimo. It is in part a biography of several Curanderos in Mexico and the Southwest.It is also memoir, which includes the author's childhood memories of folk remedies and his path to become a Curandero. Perhaps most important, it is a re-visioning of holistic, common sense health practices.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to curandismo and Mexican folk healing. The writing style is more conversational than academic, but the book provided a basic overview of the history and current status of curanderismo in the American Southwest.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offered a great introduction to being a curandero and covered a brief history of previous curanderos. I really liked his perspective in terms of being an academic, Mexican-American living in the states, and offered some personal stories. Worth the read!

[Barbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting memoir/cultural history.