Orozco, Emily

   While looking through and reading about the art works of Carmen Lomas Garza, several images seemed interesting, each told a different story. Personally, the image that caught my attention was Curandera (1974). I thought this image was interesting because of the depiction of La Virgen de Guadalupe, all the candles, and the lady holding the broom.  All of these things are very representative of a specific type of experience in the Latinx culture. I come from a spiritual family meaning some are very Catholic, while others believe in those with a “sixth sense.” 
    I have always grown up with relatives saying they need a “limpia” or the burning of sage when the vibes of the house are off. My grandmother always told me to make my bed every morning to avoid bad energies. In addition, we used to live in a place that got very windy at times and my mom would always say “I hate the wind” and my grandma would tell her “Don’t say that” without ever really disclosing the reason why other than the bad energy it could bring.  These experiences are not really much in comparison to the intense art work of Lomas Garza where there are lots of people in the room while the limpia is happening. However, I think it's significant because while these things may seem silly and superstitious to people with no knowledge of “folk healing” for several people in the Latinx community this is a cultural norm. In my experience, many people in my family believe in cleansing in order to get rid of “bad vibes” and it’s not weird to us to believe in such remedies. Some of my family members even believe that another human can tell them their fate. They see them periodically and pay them for services like the one in the Lomas Garza image.