Don Pedro Jaramillo
| Don Pedro Jaramillo | |
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Don Pedro Jaramillo, curandero faith healer from South Texas
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| El Mero Jefe, Healer of Los Olmos, Curandero, Healer | |
| Born | Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Died | 1907 Starr County, Texas |
| Venerated in | Folk Catholicism |
| Patronage | Cures, good health, fortune, healing, protection from diseases |
Don Pedro Jaramillo, was a curandero, faith healer, and folk saint from the South Texas Valley region. He is known as "the healer of Los Olmos creek and "el mero jefe" (English: the real chief) of the curanderos.
Jaramillo was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico to Purépecha Indian parents, and died at an unknown age in Starr County, Texas in 1907. Jaramillo first came to notice when he arrived at the Los Olmos ranch near Falfurrias, Texas and he announced he was a curandero and began treating the Mexican families in the region. At the height of his career, families from as far away as New York City would travel to seek help from Jaramillo.
Jaramillo's story as a curandero begins when he was suffering from a nose ailment and as a cure, daubed his nose with mud at the edge of a pool. Three days of this self-prescribed treatment cured the ailment, however it left Jaramillo with an identifying scar on his nose. On the third night of this treatment, Jaramillo believes he heard a voice telling him God had given him the power to heal. Testing such power, he prescribed a tepid bath to his master which healed his ailment.
The first accounts of his cures and powers were collected and printed in 1934 in Spanish, they were later in 1951 translated to English., Don Pedro is not only noted for his healing, but also his generosity. In Alice, Texas, it was recorded that he would sometimes buy $500 worth of goods at a time, simply to feed the poor. On his travels, Don Pedro was accompanied by a friend, Teofilo Barraza. Because of Don Pedro's popularity, large groups of people would camp at Los Olmos Creek awaiting his return from a curing trip.
There is a shrine at his burial site on FM Highway 1418, in Falfurrias, and also a state historical marker. The Texas State historical marker was dedicated in 1971 and is the first in Texas to be written in both English and Spanish. His popularity continues and he has even had songs written about him. "Don Pedrito Jaramillo by Rene Joslin Y Los Favoritos , Vol. 1 [Audio]". Amazon.com. ASIN B000SF0G4M.
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Wikipedia