The book "Borderlands Curanderos" by Jennifer Koshatka Seman was a great look into what role folk healers played in the early borderlands. Due to the economic misfortune in the borderlands the people were often forced to rely on the curanderos. #hist416

I think that Gloria Anzaldua's poem perfectly illustrates the nature of the border, and it still rings true to this day. The United states often exploits Mexico because often Mexico cannot push back against the United states effectively. #Hist416

The stigma around Don Pedrito was overly harsh, calling him a brujo or witch is unfair to him. The term also undermines his medical knowledge by attributing his healing as magical. Yes, his medicine was not purely founded in science, but it also worked which in my opinion earned him some respect. #Hist416

The curanderos seemed to be people who were given the name without them asking for it. With them being folk healers, not all were given respect however because some were said to use "black magic". This only further increased the stigma against and for these curanderos #Hist416

The mystique of Don Pedrito was not just in his healing powers, but also in how you got to him. There were many legends surrounding him, with even rich people viewing him as a god. His medical knowledge impressing even those who could afford the best medical professionals. #Hist416

The anecdote of Doña Tomasita Canales, showed that the medical "professionals" of the time did not have all of the answers. Don Pedrito Jaramillo someone who is not a "professional" ended up having the solution. This anecdote further illustrates the wild west nature of the medical world. #Hist416

The medical world in 1900 was a mixture of everything from real medicine, theory, and even "snake oils". By snake oils I mean medicine that is sold as a scam. The medical world was the wild west per say, no rules and people were healed by pure luck. #Hist416

Teresa being considered a miracle worker added to her power. She seems to be considered a god or something. It seems that those who believed in her power truly seemed to think that she had some kind of healing power to work miracles for them. #Hist416

So far this first chapter has illustrated how natives were viewed by both nations. They were viewed as lesser people and treated as threats that needed to be eliminated. Their deaths were celebrated as evidenced by the pictures taken for newspapers. #Hist416

In chapter one, there is the mention of Mexico and the United states coming together to fight against the Teresitas. It shocks me that the threat was big enough to get two nations that often have opposing views to work against them. Even the book calls it "an impressive display of binational state power" (Jennifer Koshatka Seman, 2021).
Jennifer Koshatka Seman. (2021). Borderlands Curanderos. University of Texas Press.
#Hist416