Healing Body and Soul
Interview with Curandera Erika Buenaflor
What ignited your interest in curanderismo?
I always knew that curanderismo was in my DNA, I come from a long line of grandmother curanderas. Until the age of eight, I had the opportunity to hear amazing stories of curanderismo from my great-grandmother. But I was also acutely aware that my grandmother chose the Western path of nursing school and that “modernization” had become the trend in my family, as well as the expectation to go to college and become a professional. The traditions of curanderismo in our family became distant memories. Perhaps still dear to our hearts, but distant memories nonetheless.
As a young girl, when I came to the United States as a first-generation dual-citizen, I was prohibited from speaking Spanish in school, and learned through many channels that being Mexican and embodying the culture was not desirable. Fortunately, my undergraduate Xicanx (aka Chicanx) classes at UCLA began to awaken my spirit and soul. In these classes, I applied postmodern feminist critical theories to deconstruct, question, and reappropriate my culture. I then began to formally study and write about curanderismo in independent honor classes. For the first time in my life, I began to love and adore my culture and myself.
Despite my decision to go to law school and become an attorney to empower the marginalized and work on social justice issues, synchronicities led me to meet my first set of mentors in Yucatán, Mexico, while I was in law school. After I met my first mentors, I returned to Yucatán every four to six months for the next seven years and continued my mentorship training as a curandera. During this period, I was a full-time attorney living two separate lives: a curandera mentee and an attorney.
A critical catalyst in pursuing my path as a curandera was my catastrophic injury that resulted in numerous bone fractures, and being in a wheelchair for almost a year. In 2005, I was hiking at Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada, and slipped. Three days later, when I was fully conscious, I was told I had: a skull fracture, a brain hemorrhage, a left acromioclavicular joint separation, two fractured vertebrae, a shattered coccyx, three fractures in my left leg, and, on the right leg, bones fractured from the knee down and came out of my heel. Six weeks later, I was told that I also had severe osteomyelitis and lost half the bones in my right heel, due to the infection. I was told if I did walk again, it would be with some kind of assistance, and that I would likely be in pain the rest of my life because there was nothing that could be done about my shattered coccyx.
Although I had pursued my passion as a curandera, prior to this catastrophic accident, I thought of my interest in curanderismo and ancient Mesoamerica shamanism as mere hobbies. The first night I was conscious and aware of the extent of my injuries I knew I had to decide to embrace my Don (healing gift from God). I envisioned and knew without any doubt that I would experience an impeccable recovery. During my recovery period, I put into practice everything I learned as a curandera mentee and facilitated my impeccable recovery. After not walking for almost a year, I walked with a completely normal gait in less than two weeks.
Shortly after my catastrophic accident, I deepened my practice by continuing my mentorship as a curandera, and also obtained a master’s degree in religious studies with a focus on ancient Mesoamerican shamanism and curanderismo. I wanted to better understand our ancient indigenous ways, and so, in graduate school, I delved into the ethnohistorical records that explained my ancestors’ traditions of healing. This ultimately enabled me to become more secure and grounded in my practice as a curandera, and nuance it with ancient sacred Mesoamerican philosophy and beliefs.
How has curanderismo helped you connect with yourself and your culture?
Curanderismo practices, beliefs, and ceremonies have always been second nature to me. While in graduate school, I gained access to an immense amount of information about ancient Mesoamerica. I went to school two or three times a week, and every time I came home with a cartful of books. I read them all, and loved it! I continued my practice as a curandera, but was very private about it. I basically went to school to get books. I also continued my trips and mentorship in Yucatán. I eventually realized however that I did not want to simply study curandere/x, I wanted to be the curandera. I did not see graduate school as a place that would appreciate this desire, so I decided I would stop once I got my master’s degree.
Nonetheless, while in graduate school, I began to understand myself even more, and where my “intuitive” curanderismo ceremonies and practices came from. I began to understand, for example, why I was always guided to make offerings to my altars in similar ways to my indigenous ancestors; why I listened to and watched the fire, during the fire limpias; why I knew that sweeping limpias should come at transitional points during a session; and much more. Not only was I elated when I began to understand why I was always drawn to these practices, but most importantly I started to feel whole again. I was able to welcome home soul pieces of myself that I did not know were missing. My transition into and embracing myself as a curandera was a process of deep healing, self-love, and soul retrieval; retrieving back into my sacred heart disassociated soul pieces.
What would you recommend to someone who is interested in curanderismo? How can they start this journey?
My recommendation would be to first read about curanderismo. I have written four books that cover different areas of curanderismo: Cleansing Rites of Curanderismo, covers the essentials of limpias; Curanderismo Soul Retrieval discusses how to engage in soul retrieval; Sacred Energies of the Sun and Moon, which delves into limpia rites with the Sun and Moon; and Animal Medicine, explores how to connect with and work with animal medicine and shapeshifting. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, and Antonio Noé Zavaleta have also written wonderful books on curanderismo practices. In the process of reading, begin to integrate the curanderismo practices as self-care healing routines, and take classes that integrate curanderismo practices. Now with the internet we have substantially more access to curanderismo teachings and teachers that resonate
Do you have another book in the works?
Yes, the presale for my final book, Veneration Rites of Curanderismo: Invoking the Sacred Energy of Our Ancestors will begin February 2023. This book explores the diverse and dynamic ancestral veneration rites of the ancient Mesoamericans, as well as those practiced in contemporary curanderismo, and how we can draw from these traditions to reconnect with our ancestors, deepen our healing journeys, and shape our lives. I also interweave my personal and/or my clients’ experiences in connecting with, healing, reclaiming our ancestors to ground the ancient and contemporary ancestral veneration rites with tangible, and often raw and vulnerable stories and sites of decolonization.