(I am republishing this updated story, which appeared in an early edition of US Border News two years ago in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 - October 15.)
Growing up in South Texas, I encountered all sorts of folk legends, but the story of Don Pedro Jaramillo is in a league of its own. Understand, I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic ranching community. Folklore about brujas (witches) and curanderos (medicine men) abounded. -But Don Pedro Jaramillo's legacy endures.
His memory is so strong in South Texas that the Texas State Historical Survey Committee erected an official Texas Historical Marker in his honor in Falfurrias, Texas. His marker was the first in Texas to be written in both English and Spanish.
He is also a presence in Downtown Falfurrias, Texas, where a mural honors him. But who is this "folk saint" who still inspires followers more than 115 years after his death?
First, it is important to understand the heritage of the curandero (folk healer) in Hispanic history and culture.
A curandero can treat the negative consequences of encounters a person has had with a duende (a "spirit creature"). A person can "lose their soul" when being frightened or experiencing a frightening experience. This is called espanto or susto.
Don Pedro Jaramillo believed he heard a voice telling him God had given him the power to heal. His story as a healer begins in the 1800s when he arrived at the Los Olmos ranch near Falfurrias, Texas, announced he was a curandero, and began treating the Mexican families in the region. At the height of his career, families from as far away as New York City would travel to this remote area in South Texas to seek his help. At the height of his reputation, 200 letters addressed to him arrived each week.
Today a shrine stands at his burial spot in Falfurrias, Texas. The faithful still come more than a hundred years after his death to light a candle and say a prayer for healing. Visitors often leave flowers, photos, and candles to honor his memory and ask for his blessings.
Don Pedrito - as many of the faithful call him - lived and died in a small adobe hut near the banks of Los Olmos Creek in Brooks County. He has been gone from this remote corner of South Texas for almost 120 years - but the legend (and legacy) of Don Pedro Jaramillo ("Don Pedrito") lives on.
I’m interested in your thoughts about Curanderos like Don Pedro Jaramillo. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Abrazos,
