The El Paso Museum of History recently opened “Frontera Esoterica: An Insight into Curanderismo, Brujería, and Mysticism,” a new exhibition in the museum aimed to showcase spiritual and healing practices in Mexico that combine Asian, African, Mexican, European and American practices.
Museum curator Quetzaly Segovia further explained the purpose behind bringing the exhibition to the museum.
“The purpose of the exhibition is to demystify or remove the stigma of spirituality and spiritual practices that are tied to Mexican American culture and Mexican American identity,” Segovia said. “We talk about the historical connected that Mexico has to spirituality and mysticism, but we mainly focus on the history that happens here in the Paso Del Norte region.”
The exhibition also focuses heavily on border history with historical figures connected to Mexican revolutions.
According to Segovia, the origins of Brujeriareceived negative light from colonial and Christian perspectives and began as practices amongst indigenous communities, which were deemed as witchcraft from colonizers.
“We talk about those things within the exhibition, where simply people were documented of bringing herbs or making certain teas for remedies and it was viewed as demonic when in reality it was general healing practices that were passed down,” Segovia said.
Segovia highlighted how a modern-day practice, limpias, were created by indigenous Mexicans and is still being practiced alongside other remedies.
“We specifically talk about things like limpias where we basically highlight the history of limpias and how that has been something that has existed in modern day Mexico for as long as Mexico has been documented,” Segovia said.
She stated that the museum has received a positive response from the community, especially for the opening of the exhibition.
“The exhibition itself really highlights history through an academic perspective, and we talk about real people that have connections to the system,” Segovia said.
There is also artwork that accompanies the exhibit.
Alongside surrounding El Paso Museums, the Museum of History will host a Día de los Muertos festival parade on Oct. 24 in downtown with other exhibitions dedicated to the occasion.
The festival will begin at 11 a.m. followed by the parade at 4 p.m. before the event wraps up at 9 p.m.
Vanessa Orozco is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]