curanderos
Traditional Latin healers
Curanderos are traditional folk healers in Latin American cultures, particularly Mexican and Mexican-American communities.
They use a blend of herbal remedies, spiritual rituals, and prayer to treat physical and emotional ailments.
The practice, called curanderismo, often addresses conditions like *susto* (fright sickness) or *mal de ojo* (evil eye) that fall outside Western medicine's framework: The family consulted a curandero when doctors couldn't explain the illness.
Trust without proof
- soulInnermost animating essence
- spiritsLiquor or apparitions
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
- clairvoyanceExtrasensory perception ability
vision · trance · possession · ancestors · saints · Catholic · syncretism · devotion
Formal event marking occasions
- altarSacred ritual table
- cleansingRemoving dirt or toxins
- incantationSpoken magical formula
- chantRepetitive rhythmic phrase
offering · sage · copal · candles · prayer · blessing · purification · exorcism
Long-established customs passed down
- legendsTraditional stories or icons
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- talesSpoken or written narratives
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
ancestral · storytelling · superstition · charms · amulets · folk · oral history · wisdom
Practitioner using plant medicines
- remediesTreatments that restore health
- medicineCurative substance or practice
- treatmentCare for an ailment
- therapyCurative mental treatment
patient · caregiver · recovery · diagnosis · clinic · ethnobotany · poultice · tincture
Overall state of health
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- alternativeAnother available choice
- naturalNot artificially produced
- herbsPlants for seasoning
plants · energy · body · mind · spirit · integrative · traditional · wholeness
faith
Trust without proof
- soulInnermost animating essence
- spiritsLiquor or apparitions
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
clairvoyance · vision · trance · possession · ancestors · saints · Catholic · syncretism · devotion · intercession
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
- altarSacred ritual table
- cleansingRemoving dirt or toxins
- incantationSpoken magical formula
chant · offering · sage · copal · candles · prayer · blessing · purification · exorcism · invocation
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- legendsTraditional stories or icons
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- talesSpoken or written narratives
lore · ancestral · storytelling · superstition · charms · amulets · folk · oral history · wisdom · elders
herbalist
Practitioner using plant medicines
- remediesTreatments that restore health
- medicineCurative substance or practice
- treatmentCare for an ailment
therapy · patient · caregiver · recovery · diagnosis · clinic · ethnobotany · poultice · tincture · salve
wellness
Overall state of health
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- alternativeAnother available choice
- naturalNot artificially produced
herbs · plants · energy · body · mind · spirit · integrative · traditional · wholeness · harmony
curanderosmedical doctors
Licensed practitioners of medicine
MDs · surgeons · specialists · attending physicians · medical professionals