Curanderismo Practices.

Curanderismo stems from the Spanish word curar, which means to heal, and is practiced throughout Mexico, Latin America, and the southwestern United States. Specific procedures may vary depending on regional influence. For example, what is emphasized in Texas will differ from practices in northern New Mexico with its unique Native American influences.According to curanderismo, disease is caused by social, psychological, physical, and spiritual factors. A mix of healing traditions, the practice is grounded in ancient Aztec medicine. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs in the early 1500s, they rejected the healing practices that evolved into curanderismo, partly because they emphasized non-Christian spirituality. As a result, many spiritual components changed to forms more palatable for the conqueror's Catholic faith. For example, anthropologists suggest that that the Virgin of Guadalupe, whose image is a ubiquitous presence in curanderismo rituals, is a Christianized version of the Aztec lunar mother goddess Tonantzin.
Over time, Aztec healing traditions were influenced by Spanish medicine, which itself was shaped by Arabic medicine practiced by the Moors, who, at the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, had been only recently expelled from the Iberian Peninsula. Considered the most advanced at the time, Arabic medicine's influences dated back to Ancient Greece and Egypt and, given the extent of the Arabic contact into Asia, reflected oriental healing principles. Finally, African slaves and Native American cultures wove their insights into this culturally rich healing tapestry we now call curanderismo.

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So we can see with this peice of writing that the curanderismo practices have all evolved from an older tradition, which in turn took over from a previously older tradition. The adaption of curanderismo traditions are no new concept, the curanderismo way of working is one that is flexible to spirit, flexible to land and flexible to curandero. The relationships the curandero has with the teachers plants like san pedro and ayahuasca, tobacco and yopo and other plant teachers native and non native to ones bioregion. In addition, the curandero has a respectful relationship with their surroundings, with the spirits and elemental forces of the bioregion where the curandero conducts their rituals. It makes sense to work with the energies and spirits of ones country, to develop respectful relations with the other than human people of the land. There are thousands of bioregions spread across the earth, the possiblities for adaption are enormous.