"I cure many spiritual even physical things. If you have a cold, I can take care of it. If you have a bad hip, I bandage it."

This young lady suffers from headaches and Julia treats her by performing a cleansing ceremony, or limpia. In the tradition of ancient folk curers, she may also prescribe special teas or potions that contain medicinal herbs like garlic, eucalyptus and rosemary. The methods employed are all white magic for good things. S. D. is an expert on Mexican culture who sees magic as integral to the social fabric.

"Now magical thinking is a unique human feature and magical practices are probably as old as mankind itself. They always relate to basic human questions concerned about a person’s well-being, physical and spiritual well-being of course, as well as a trice, awareness of his own finiteness."

But there’s more to the story of brujería than Julia is healing with white magic. When settling a score or getting back at someone, we may need to harness the power of the dark side: black magic.

"Satan, emperor of the infernal stars, Astaroth, Beelzebub, infernal spirits, at this moment, I ask for your presence and intervention. Depending on the work to be done, one or another magic is used. If there is a sentimental problem, then red magic is used; if there is a problem with the neighbor, black magic is more likely to be used; to get rid of someone who is causing harm, we definitely use black magic."

In black magic, the ritual climax usually involves a sacrifice.

"In order to complete the work the client asks for, at that moment, an offering of blood must be made. At that moment, all beings, up to the highest authority, are present. We can’t see them, but we can feel it in the body, the healer and the patient alike."

To outsiders, the work of Catemaco’s brujos, may seem like superstitious nonsense. But as long as members of the community continue to find benefit in the age-old tradition, the brujos will practice their white and black magic.