Mixed Native American Mexican and European Curandera (healer) Doctora Lisa Martinez has been of service to her community in Colorado for years. As a Doctor of Natural Medicine, she's noticed that Latinxs want to receive culturally balanced experiences and care in their daily lives. "They want to be seen as the complete person they are by someone who can relate to them and their experiences," she tells us. "As Indigenous people we have a different view of the world and our traditions, beliefs and practices influence how we interact or react to our surroundings and events."
Martinez attributes much of the shift to the easy access that the internet offers practitioners and the Latinx and Indigenous community to one another. "I have noticed an increase in the number of Latinx and Indigenous people seeking spiritual assistance especially in the last few years. I attribute this to a few things. The medicine is becoming more and more visible," she further explains, "What was once done quietly and less out in the open is now becoming mainstream. Elders and teachers in the past would never have allowed recordings, photos or virtual platforms of any kind for classes or interviews [and] are now showing up in all kinds of ways, including social media."
As generations pass, the loss of elders has catapulted the need for honoring Indigenous spiritual roots. This modern form of reclaiming old ways of our spiritual past has become a mechanism of mourning as well. "The other factor I feel is contributing, is the number of people who have lost elders in the last decade or so [and] who are coming to realize how much they want these spiritual practices back in their lives," Dr. Martinez adds. "They remember seeing these elders/relatives and the difference their ways made in the lives of those around them."
Where to Find Her: itzpapalotl74
