The mysterious curandero has been at work once again. Curanderos, or folk healers, have been providing remedies along the Texas-Mexico border for some 500 years. Cabeza de Vaca documented this practice in 1528 when he and his companions lived in southern Texas and first observed the Native American medicine men using herbal preparations. In the colonial days, there were no medics along the border, only the curanderos. The combination of folk remedies, herbal medicine, and religious blessings is still used effectively today by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of these healers.
Curanderos deal with all types of illnesses, from croup and breech birth to headaches and cancer.
They can free a patient from an evil spell, help attract a lover, or bring good luck at bingo. Treatments may be in the form of calling down the spirit of a saint to bless the patient, herbal medication, laying on of hands and massaging the afflicted area, cleansing the body with wands of herbs and religious crucifixes, preparing an amulet to be worn for a specified amount of time, or burning a candle with a specific prayer printed on the candle jar. The prayers are directed to a favorite saint or one associated with the needs of the patient. Don Pedrito Jaramillo, the famous Healer of Los Olmos practiced near Falfurrias, in Starr County, Texas, at the turn of the century. Statues and photos of this bearded old man are common along the border.