In the fall of 1989 as part of a class that I took on Mexican folk medicine, I went to Espinazo, Mexico to celebrate anniversary of the death of a curandero(healer), El Nino Fidencio. He died in 1938. All the photos were taken with a disposable camera.
This man said he had worked on a ranch in Texas;
I shared my Swisher Sweet cigars with him.
A group fidencistas coming into Espinazo for the festivities;
they carry a banner with Fidencio’s photo.
What a fascinating experience!
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It was a wonderful experience even if we had to sleep on dirt floors in sleeping bags.
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Wonderful photos. Mexico always amazes me. The landscape looks like the 30’s instead of the 80s. Thanks.
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Thank you, John! I wonder what it looks like today but I don’t think it would be much different as it is off the beaten path.
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i’m sure
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Fabulous photographs. They are like stepping back in time. XX V.
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Thank you, Virginia! It was a long way from the modern world and made us appreciate the simple things we took for granted.
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I’ve heard of him. The desert has her secrets and miracles.
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Yes, there are some thing we cannot explain. The Catholic Church does not recognize him as a saint but he is considered a folk saint and is known especially in South Texas. And at my local grocery store I see religious candles with his picture on them. Thank you for stopping by to comment!
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They struggled with the Diego and the Lady of Guadalupe some, too…not to mention dia del muertos. Open mind is always wise…according to Hamlet/Shakespeare, right?
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Wow. The first shot drew me in but the portrait blew me away. Great work.
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Oh, my! Coming from you (a real photographer) it means so much. The portrait was always my favorite and has always haunted me with his simple dignity. My Spanish is very limited but he spoke some English. Thank you so much for viewing and commenting. I didn’t want to take a good camera down there so I bought a cheap disposable one. Some came out pretty good but I missed having a zoom.
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Gorgeous photos. I especially love the first one. Sets the scene perfectly.
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Thank you! It was October and the skies were clear and we saw monarch butterflies on the hills.
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I LOVE these photos CC…so atmospheric.
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The atmosphere was quite different from most of our experiences for sure. But the people were authentic and welcomed us and we respected them.
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A stark landscape with strong people. These are wonderful photos.
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Yes, they are very strong people and lived simply. We stayed in the home of a local and really got the feel of life there. Dust was everywhere. Thanks for the visit, Dor!
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What a fabulous experience. I remember his name from my time in Corpus. Beautiful pictures.
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Oh, I am glad you remembered him! You probably heard of Don Pedrito Jaramillo of Falfurrias too. It was a beautiful fall sky so the lighting was great. Thanks for the visit – hope all is well with you. Going over to read your latest post.
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These photos are great – I can’t believe you took them on a disposable camera.
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These photos capture a slice of life in a place that seems to have changed little over the decades. Thank you for liking my blog post.
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