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Spirit Doctors
| Length: | 30 min |
| Released: | 1997 |
| Ages: |
College Adult |
Buy Online Streaming
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. Spirit Doctors follows three healers as they go about 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 with the wandering soul of a 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, who plays an important role in the community, where one-third of all births take place outside of the hospital.
From filmmaker Monica Delgado, who is herself a descendant of a curandera and partera, these cameo portraits show how traditional beliefs flourish in Mexican American culture.
From filmmaker Monica Delgado, who 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
‒Booklist
Gold Apple, National Educational Film & Video Festival, 1997
Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, 1997
Best Documentary, Utah Short Film & Video Festival, 1996
Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, 1997
Best Documentary, Utah Short Film & Video Festival, 1996
