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Abstract(s)
The curandera, “the woman who heals”, is a recurring figure in the novels of the most celebrated Mexican American writer, Rudolfo Anaya. Ultima, Ismelda, Lucinda Córdova, and Lorenza Villa are characters inspired by the traditional curandera, who resorts to herbs and old spells in order to cure patients, both physically and mentally, since diseases are approached from a holistic perspective. In this paper I will concentrate solely on Ultima, the most memorable curandera in Anaya’s fiction. First, I briefly analyze the folkloric and social value of this figure in the Southwestern communities. Secondly, I exemplify how Ultima: a) Involuntarily causes a clash between witchcraft and Catholicism; b) Resorts to her deep knowledge of curative plants and to the art of nagualismo (the capability of transforming herself into an animal); c) Performs a healing ritual according to the tradition. In order to do so, I resort to: the novel Bless me Ultima; the work of Mexican American folklorists; the opinion of several specialists in the fiction of Anaya; an excerpt from an unpublished interview the author granted me.
Description
Keywords
Rudolfo Anaya Mexican American literature Curandera Magic
Citation
Mancelos, João de. “Old Spells, Magic Herbs and Frightening Creatures: The Curandera in Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima”. The Apothecary's Chest: Magic, Art and Medication. Ed. Konstantina Georganta, Fabienne Collignon and Anne-Marie Millim. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009. 41-48. ISBN: 978-1-4438-0494-3.