Curandero Project

Hierberias are important in Curanderismo. A hierberia is essentially an herb store but it serves for more than just that purpose. It is also a place for consultations, whether it is for herbal remedies, religious items, spiritual cleanses, advise, and even healing sessions. The word consultorio refers to a place where consultations take place.

There is a hierberia in San Juan, Texas carrying a large selection of religious and spiritual items. Its full name is Consultorio and Hierberia San Jose and it is very neatly organized. The store offers an impressive collection of candles, incenses, religious figures, scents, soaps, and other items related to faith, healing and spirituality.

Pictured on the door is an image of San Jose or Saint Joseph as it is known to Catholics in the United States. In Catholicism, this revered figure is the husband of the Virgin Mary and the adoptive father of Jesus.

There I met a full time spiritual counselor and curandero named Jose, who is also the owner of the store. He kindly agreed to an interview with me. The store opened in 2005 and was named after him. His record as spiritual counselor and curandero dates back to 1999.

He recounted an anecdote of how he started in Curanderismo. A friend of his asked for advice on attracting success in business. At the time, Jose was making a living installing fences. He offered spiritual advice and apparently the friend did really well.

A Ubiquitous Image

When I entered the hierberia, I noticed a variety of statues of La Santa Muerte in various sizes and colors including one measuring seven feet tall! In Mexican culture, La Santa Muerte or more simply known as Santa Muerte occupies a prominent role. It is a very common symbol found many hierberias: a female figure that personifies death.

Some people distance themselves from the tradition while others embrace it. Described sometimes as a cult and other times as a folk religion or saint it has captured the attention of many. There are even car fresheners made in her image like the one below. This photo is from a convenience store located in Mercedes, Texas.

Jose identifies as Catholic and is believer in Santa Muerte. However, he believes that God comes first and is above all saints. Similarly, the Virgen of Guadalupe occupies, according to Jose a higher place of devotion than Santa Muerte.

Jose petitions Santa Muerte in his work as a curandero. He told me that petitions can be made to attract employment, remove bad luck in love and seek financial success. In his personal life, Jose attributes a lot of financial miracles to Santa Muerte.

Some people, however distance themselves from this folk tradition. There is the widespread notion that Santa Muerte is associated with high risk activities and crime. This appears to be changing according to Jose, devotion to Santa Muerte has become more associated with personal improvement.

Many people come to Jose’s consultorio to petition to Santa Muerte and bring offerings like fruits, tequila, flowers, and money. A customer brought a white statue as a gift to Jose.

The Intersection of Faith, Magic and Healing.

Hierberias are places where religion, spirituality, faith and health come together in Curanderismo. One of the common reasons for visiting a hierberia is to find a solution to a life problem. It may or may not be directly related to physical health. Removing bad luck or petitioning for financial stability can be important to achieve spiritual and mental health. Many times, visitors have exhausted their options and are looking for something to work in a magical way.

We can all relate to problems involving love, money, family relationships, business, and bad luck. They are the some of the most common problems for which hierberias offer products. Chances are that there is a candle, herb, scent, amulet, lotion, incense, or religious image for everyone.

The buyer of these objects sets an intention, uses his or her own personal belief system and tries to effect a certain outcome. Sometimes people buy the products for home use or consult with the store curandero for advise.

Jose told me that he uses the objects at his store to invoke only good things for people, He said that he does not do anything wrong or bad at his hierberia. Some examples are helping people at a spiritual level to find employment, love and financial wellbeing. This type of work is labeled as trabajos blancos in Spanish meaning white magic.

Curanderismo has elements of magic, faith, and religion to achieve a desired outcome. In many cases the outcome is healing. Recovering from financial hardship, breaking a bad love streak or resolving a family problem are part of healing. How we get to that healing? It can take various paths.