Curanderismo in the Americas

Abstract

‘Curanderismo’ refers to several religious and folk healing modalities in the hispanophone areas of North and South America. This chapter examines the historical development of curanderismo in Latin America and shows how it originates from a fusion of Iberian and Latin American forms of Catholicism, indigenous American healthways, and African healing practices in the context of Spain’s colonization and evangelization of the Americas. In addition to describing the various types of healing practice within curanderismo, the chapter also explains the ways in which sickness and wellness are typically understood. The chapter analyzes the connections and disjunctures that exist between curanderismo, Catholicism, and scientific biomedicine. Finally, the chapter discusses some of the issues facing curanderismo in the twenty-first century. These include its relationship to other forms of modern medicine, New Age spirituality, and the refashioning of its colonial history to accentuate indigenous and African heritage.