Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres is visiting Barbara Sanders’ 7th grade social studies class Friday, Feb. 20 at 12:30 p.m. in the Wilson Middle School library, 1138 Cardenas SE, off San Pedro between Kathryn and Gibson SE. Torres’s visit is not as a UNM administrator, but rather as a curandero, or folk healer.
Sanders said that Torres’s visit supports her curriculum. “We have been studying the Spanish Colonial period in New Mexico. The students were assigned to create booklets or posters on some aspect of the era. Some took an interest in common ailments and how they were treated. They used Dr. Torres’s books as a resource,” she said.
She added that for students who don’t have a strong interest in social studies, the scientific aspect appealed to them. “It bridges the two disciplines, which also shows students that learning isn’t segmented,” Sanders said.
Sanders noted that the visit provides a cultural component because many of her students are Mexican immigrants.
Torres appreciates the opportunity to share the art and craft of curanderismo with younger students. “They are open-minded, curious and exuberant and have the ability to relate to and appreciate various aspects of folk healing,” he said.
Some of what Torres is presenting at the school is available to UNM students who register for a credit class and the public through a Traditional Mexican Healing Certificate Program he offers through UNM Continuing Education. Each summer he brings healers and faculty from New Mexico and Central Mexico to provide students with a hands-on curriculum that provides participants with knowledge and skills used by traditional folk healers, including diagnosing illness, preparing natural medicines, identifying and using medicinal plants, massage therapy, iridology, etc.
Curanderismo comes from the Spanish word curar, which means to heal, and is practiced throughout Mexico, Latin America and the United States southwest. Practices vary depending upon regional influence. In other words, how it is used in Texas will differ from ways in northern New Mexico with its strong Native American influences.
Torres said, “I also appreciate the opportunity to visit with younger students to get them thinking about higher education and career opportunities. We would like to see these 7th graders at UNM in 2012.”
Torres is the recipient of the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce President’s Award presented for his vision, dedication and service to education in New Mexico. He also received the Cesar Chavez, “Si Se Puede” award by City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department for his life-long commitment to community, social and human rights issues.
Posted by scarr at February 19, 2009 09:46 AM