5.13: Introduction to Cultura: Salud y medicina en el mundo hispano

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El sincretismo cultural hispano: el cura, el chamán, el sobandero, los rezos, la santería, la partera, la curandera… todos necesarios para el bienestar.

In the Spanish-speaking culture, nontraditional medicine, spiritual rituals, religious beliefs, and medicinal practices that seek to “clean” bad energies from a person or a place are very common. People in many places, depending on their socio-cultural context and access to formal education, hold strong religious beliefs. People frequently think that diseases are associated with bad energies or bad spirits. The concept of “hacer una limpia” is common to all hispanic culture and reflects the syncretism of Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans all blended together. Beliefs about cures and rituals are passed from generation to generation; they cross borders when Latinos migrate to other cultures, and are aspects of identity that are preserved in the effort to respect the wisdom of our elders and maintain traditions.