What is Brujeria?

Brujería encompasses a wide array of traditional folk magic and spiritual practices found throughout Latin America and the Latinx diaspora. It blends Indigenous, African, and Spanish traditions, incorporating diverse beliefs and rituals focused on healing, protection, justice, and ancestral connection.

Practitioners, known as brujas, brujos, and curanderos, utilize herbs, candles, prayers, amulets, and spells to interact with spiritual forces, saints, and ancestral spirits. While historically demonized as "witchcraft" by colonial and Christian authorities, brujería is rooted in survival, care, and resistance, particularly within marginalized communities. It exists both independently and alongside Catholicism.

The ethical considerations, intentions, and context of practitioners determine whether brujería is used for good or evil. Its modern resurgence reflects younger generations' desire to reclaim their ancestral heritage and establish spiritual independence.