Spirit Doctors
A Film by Monica Delgado and Michael Van Wagenen
Folk
healing has been part of the Mexican culture since pre-Columbian days. This
tradition still flourishes in the Mexican American communities of the lower
Rio Grande Valley. This film follows three healers in their daily work. Josefa,
a traditional curandera, uses a variety of herbal and spiritual techniques.
She is shown giving blessings, performing ritual cleansings and communicating
the wandering soul of the dead man. Maria heals her patients by channeling
the spirit of Mexico's most famous healer who died sixty years ago. Trini
is a traditional partera, or midwife. She plays an important role in
the community where one third of all births take place outside of the hospital.
Filmmaker Monica Delgado is herself a descendant of a curandera and partera. These cameo portraits show how traditional beliefs flourish in Mexican American culture.
"...recognizes that these ancient rituals not only offer comfort but also provide an important link to the cultural past." Booklist
Gold Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival, 1997
Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, 1997
Best Documentary, Utah Short Film & Video Festival, 1996
30 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Rental $55.
