Curandero
A curandero (, healer; f. "curandera", also spelled curandeiro, , f. "curandeira") is a traditional native healer/shaman found in Latin America and the United States. A curandero is claimed to administer shamanistic and spiritistic remedies for mental, emotional, physical and "spiritual" illnesses. Some curanderos, such as Don Pedrito, the Healer of Los Olmos, make use of simple herbs, waters, and even mud to allegedly affect their cures. Others add Catholic elements, such as holy water and pictures of saints. The use of Catholic prayers and other borrowings and lendings is often found alongside native religious elements. Still others, such as  Maria Sabina, employ hallucinogenic media. Many curanderos emphasize their native spirituality in healing while being practicing Catholics. History in Latin America. The term "curanderos" can be traced back to the Spanish colonization of Latin America. Curanderos in this part of the world are the result of the mixture of traditional Indigenous medicinal practices and Catholic rituals. There was also an influence from African rituals brought to Latin America by slaves. Curandero/a comes from the root "curar" in Spanish which literally translates to cure. Thus, a curandero/a is one who heals. Curanderos go beyond Western medicine, linking illness with  evil spirits. This extends a curandero's duties to cover not only physical ailments but also psychological and interpersonal issues. Among the illnesses that Curandero/a's help with range from the mundane stomach ache to certain spiritual illnesses such as "susto, mal de ojo," and even reversing black magic. Traditional communities see all of these issues as a loss of spirit. They believe that the curanderos can enter different dimensions where they are able to find the solutions to a person's illness or problem. Furthermore, they believe that God or the Higher Creator gives curanderos difficult and painful  experiences so that they are better able to assist their patients. In Colonial Latin America, female folk healers, or curanderas, were often conflated with "brujas" (witches), which refers to those who cast spells; although curanderas were persecuted during such times, it is likely because they were females in positions of authority, not because of their healing methods. Today many women and men continue the curandero tradition in Mexico and the southwestern United States. History in the United States. Historically, in the United States, curanderos were only found in concentrated Amerindian populations. It was largely thought that Curanderos mainly practiced along  the US/Mexico border. Recent historical research shows however that the practice of Curanderismo was not relegated to the American Southwest. The practice of Curanderismo was prevalent in the 1880s in Northeastern Tennessee. In the mid- to late 1970s the rise in ethnic minority and immigrant populations grew in tandem with the public presence of curanderos in areas outside of the historical geographic regions of the United States which had large Indigenous populations. Since the 1990s, it has become more commonplace to see curanderos in northern-tier cities in the United States. Hispanics might seek out curanderos if the properties  of their bodies are "hot" and "cold." Most of these practicing curanderos do not have formal medical training and inherit their gift or learn through being an apprentice. You will find that most of these faith healers have no office and work out of their homes. A significant factor why Hispanics seek out help from a curandero is because it is more affordable. Western medicine can often be more expensive, and some Hispanic families do not have the resources needed to be able to pay for them. Depending on the curandero, they might not charge for their services or just  as for a small offering or fee. You can find them in Hispanic communities to allow the members more accessibility to their services. Other reasons these communities might seek out services offered by curanderos are the language barrier and their immigration status. Curanderos are found in Spanish communities and can communicate better about their diagnoses and treatment. Unlike hospitals or healthcare workers that might have difficulty with a language barrier and complex medical terminology. Communicating correctly to your patients is essential but even more challenging if you do not speak the language or do not have an interpreter. As for  their immigration status, it can be challenging to get health care from government support, especially for undocumented. Many of these Latinos will pay in cash for health care services they do receive out of fear of getting their immigration status reported. Curanderos and at-home remedies come as an advantage to these individuals if they cannot pay cash but will do so if things get severe and do not better with other remedies first. Considering that these practices align more with Hispanic cultural views and beliefs, many of these individuals used curanderos and alternative medicine back in their home  country. It can also be seen as a way of preserving these cultural views. Spiritual healing is another reason why curanderos might be seeking out, and Hispanics feel that medical providers cannot help heal spiritual issues that the body might deal with. Furthermore, they find that curanderos are healers of both the body and spirit. If needed, they can cast out the evil spirits that might reside in someone's body and do a full spiritual cleanse. This is stuff that you will not find your medical provider doing or trying to achieve. It is found that most Hispanics  who seek curanderos for their services are born in their home country as opposed to Hispanics born in the United States. Hispanics who are less integrated into life in the United States seek these healers to connect and feel familiar with their home countries' traditionalism. These Hispanic community members can be dissatisfied with diagnoses or Western medicine practices. They feel that their provider does not believe in their folk illnesses, much less know how to approach and treat them. Among some of the illness that curanderos can treat are espanto or susto, getting a Limpieza, having a mal projimo, having  spirits attached to you, or cleansing you from brujeria that someone might have done. There is also Mal Aire/ Mal Viento. Mal projimo translates to "bad neighbor," an illness caused by having negative thoughts or feelings that you might have towards another individual. It can also be a group of people who feel negatively towards someone else. It is said that these feelings are transformed into bad vibrations that can lead to harm to the individual. They can also treat encounters you might have had with a deuende. This creature can be compared to dwarves or a gnome, and it  is said to be an evil spirit. You can find that most of them live in the countryside of Latin American countries. Brujeria that someone might have done to you can cause bad luck and bad negative energy to harm you. Mal aire/ mal Viento is something "airs" can cause, and it can be difficult to catch for other illnesses. It can be defined as "bad air," an illness that hot or cold air can cause. For example, if you are outside and it is hot but enter a way cooler building, you can catch these "airs." It can also  be caused by supernatural forces carried through the wind. Something can be caught by walking around or encountering places with bad energy. Examples of such places can be graveyards, abandoned houses, and other places where these "bad" forces reside. The lousy energy attaches itself to you when such forces are encountered and quickly takes over your entire body. It can also result in the decaying of the internal body and can be fatal if left untreated. Many other common symptoms can be associated with this illness, such as headaches, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, and paleness. You can lose your soul when  being frightened or experiencing a frightening experience. This is called espanto or susto. Usually, susto has much milder symptoms, and children and babies are more prone to getting in regarding this illness. Examples of such experiences that can cause this is having scary dreams, receiving devastating news, facing a wild animal, etc. Symptoms associated with this disease can be nausea, crying, bad dreams, and insomnia. For all of the illnesses mentioned above, you have to perform a mal Limpieza to get rid of the "bad" and be restored to health. Examples of materials used for these limpizas are eggs, and  you drink sugar can liquor, holy water, chickens, and Guinea pigs. Also, there is a dog's skull, a dove's blood, and ahead from a doll for some more controversial objects. Limpieza can also be performed with plants aside from the objects. These magical plants can be helpful in cleaning houses as well. If the house has been abandoned or something terrible happened in the home. Then they will do a ritual that cleanses the home from all the "mal." Once a Limpieza has occurred, the materials are disposed of, seeing that now they contain "mall" and have to  be disposed of far from human inhabitants to prevent from others getting the "mall." Types. There are many different types of curanderos. "Yerberos" are primarily herbalists. "Hueseros" are bone and muscle therapists who emphasize physical ailments. "Parteras" are midwives. "Oracionistas" work primarily through the power of prayer. Other types include "sobadors," who are masseurs, and "brujas", who are witches. Among these broader terms there are several subspecialties. For instance, "yerberos" who work primarily with tobacco to heal patients are known as "tabaqueros". Healers who work primarily with ayahuasca are known as "ayahuasqueros". Healers who work with peyote are known as  peyoteros. Although many curanderos do have a specialty and may identify with it, that does not mean that these healing modalities are necessarily strict and do not overlap. As an example, an oracionista may also be a yerbera, and so on. Further information. In the 21st century as the popularity of alternative medicines grow, some curanderos are concerned about the appropriation of these practices. The Moche people of ancient Peru often depicted curanderos in their art. In the Andes, one of the instruments of the "curandero" is the "chonta", a lance carved from the chonta palm, "Bactris gasipaes", thought to  be imbued with magical powers. The palm grows only in the Amazon basin and is the object of a brisk commerce. The Jivaro people of the Amazon Rainforest use the hardwood of the chonta to carve their spears. The shaman is also known as "chonteador", and his most important wand is the "chonta defensa"; if he dies without disciples, the "chonta" is thrown, wrapped in rubands and weighted with stones, to the bottom of a lake with the belief that its power will reemerge when a new shaman will take office. The shamans also use wands of "huatulco" wood, "Loxopterygium  huasango". In fiction. Curanderos, probably because of the mystery and intrigue that surrounds them, are frequently included in fictional works: