Witchcraft, Capitalism Hit Mexican Town

Monday, March 8th, 2004

I find myself somewhere between horrified and amused. From Witchcraft, Capitalism Hit Mexican Town:

The witchcraft business is thriving like never before in this town [Catemaco] in southeastern Mexico, as Internet marketing and media-savvy shamans hitch centuries-old tradition to modern commercialism

As the traditional March witching season beings, visitors from across the country are descending on Catemaco to find “brujos” — witches [masculine] — to help them secure lovers, bring down enemies and even cement pacts with the devil.

The first Friday in March marks the most potent day of the year for performing black and white magic. Though the reasoning is a little fuzzy, the date may be related to the arrival of spring, said anthropologist Felix Baez.

This week, clients filled the office of professional witch doctor Luis Mathen and spilled out on the sidewalk in this lakeside town 275 miles southeast of Mexico City.

Ricardo Aguiles, 34, said he felt at peace after Marthen freed him from evil that he blamed for the failure of his computer repair shop.

The evil that he blamed for the failure of his computer repair shop? Sigh.

Maria Garcia, 33, said she believed the witch could help her control her wayward husband, while her father, Jose Garcia, was seeking alleviation from aches and pains.

“This is called science,” Marthen said while preparing the potions, amulets and accessories for a day of witchcraft. “Faith and science.”

Science? Faith and science? There really is a whole population to whom science is nothing but another source of inexplicable power. Sigh.

Witchcraft has inhabited Catemaco for centuries, according to Baez. The tradition is rooted in medieval practices brought by the Spanish that were mixed with indigenous customs and influenced by black slaves who worked in the area’s sugar cane plantations.

Media interest since the 1980s has fed the town’s fame, turning it into a veritable capital of spellcasting.

In less than a generation, the number of witches in Catemaco has risen from a handful to well over 100, and townspeople say it is still rising.

Today young men on bicycles accost visitors immediately when they get here, eager to lead arrivals to a witch and earn a commission.

That last bit sure sounds like Mexico.

Posted in Business, Science | No Comments »

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Witchcraft, Capitalism Hit Mexican Town

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