UNM is hosting the second annual Mexican Traditional Medicine Fair on Friday, June 30, from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Featured will be Mexican folk healers known as curanderos, local vendors, and demonstrations of massage, acupuncture and the use of plants and herbs for medicinal purposes. Nearly 40 Mexican curanderos are expected to participate. The event is free and open to the public.
Photo: A curandero or Mexican folk healer performs massage during the 2005 Mexican Traditional Medicine Fair at UNM.
Vice President for Student Affairs Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, director of the UNM curanderismo program, and Dr. Arturo Ornelas Lizardi, director of La Tranca in Cuernavaca, Mexico, will speak in the Student Union Building theater from noon – 1:00 p.m. Torres is the author of two books: “Curandero: A Life in Mexican Folk Healing” and “Healing with Herbs and Rituals: A Mexican Tradition.”
Steve Chavez and the New Mexico Marimba Band will perform during the event. There will be refreshments and prizes.
The fair will be held on UNM's main campus, north of the Student Union Building .
The Mexican health fair is held in conjunction with an annual visit each summer to UNM by curanderos who participate in a two-week course offered by UNM Continuing Education. The course is taking place June 19 – 30.
A series of Ferias de Salud or traditional Mexican health fairs, will be offered in addition to the fair UNM is hosting. For a complete schedule visit: Ferias de Salud.
Media Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816; e-mail: gregj@unm.edu