Mexican Sorcery: A Practical Guide to Brujeria de Rancho

by Laura Davila

Overview

Spell work, spiritual cleansing, herbal magic, how to protect against the Evil Eye, and cast, break, and avert hexes and curses.

Mexican witchcraft, or brujeria, has long been an integral part of traditional Mexican culture that permeates all strata of social hierarchy, ethnicity, or level of education.

“Brujeria de Rancho” refers to brujeria as it is practiced in the rural areas of Mexico. There, the brujos de Ranch offer their healing and divinatory powers, acting as advisors, and even meting out justice through the use of cursing and hexing for people who are often not able to pay lawyers’ fees.

Davila, a practicing bruja de Rancho and for whom this is a multi-generational family tradition brings this tradition to light in this comprehensive guide to Brujeria and Hechiceria (sorcery), presenting the beliefs and practices to today’s readers. The tradition includes a component of folk Catholicism that will be accessible to Pagans, non-Catholics, and practitioners of Hoodoo and Conjure. Topics included in the book are spell work, cleansings (limpias), herbs, talismans, how to protect against the Evil Eye, and also how to cast, break, and avert hexes and curses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578637812
Publisher:	Red Wheel/Weiser
Publication date:	02/01/2023
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	158,897
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Laura Davila is a fifth-generation Mexican witch, a long-time practitioner of Mexican ensalmeria, hechicería, brujeria, and folk Catholicism. Born and raised in Mexico, Laura has lived in the US since 2010. Laura identifies as a “bruja de rancho”—a “ranch witch”—a term with great resonance in Mexico indicating knowledge of botanicals and the natural world. She learned her practice at her grandmothers’ knees. Laura is also a Tarot card reader and a flower essence practitioner. Follow her on Instagram @daphne_la_hechicera.
 

Table of Contents

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Brujeria De Rancho 1

Chapter 2 The Bruja's Kitchen 19

Chapter 3 The Symbols and Tools of Tradition 47

Chapter 4 Amulets and Talismans 73

Chapter 5 Working with Saints 103

Chapter 6 Ensalmos and Remedies 123

Chapter 7 Limpias and Home Cleansings 137

Chapter 8 La Iglesia Y El Camposanto 151

Chapter 9 The Pact 165

Chapter 10 Lent for Mexican Witches 175

Appendix: Magical Correspondence 187

Glossary 193

Bibliography 199

Editorial Reviews

Mexican Sorcery touches on topics of Mexican folk magic that many people, including myself, have questions about but don’t know where to look. For anyone interested in Mexican folk magic, this book will become a staple.”
—Robyn Valentine, creator of Tired Witch, author of Magickal Tarot
 
"Thank you, Daphne la Hechicera, for providing an excellent book that offers accessible magical rites and showcases the beauty and eclectic nature of Brujeria de Rancho. Along with diverse magical recipes, Daphne la Hechicera brilliantly interweaves tales, stories, and Mexican folklore. I loved this book!”
—Erika Buenaflor, M.A., J.D., author of Cleansing Rites of Curanderismo
 
"Laura Davila's work perfectly reflects the Brujería de Rancho in Mexico, one that transcends borders despite being born on this side of the river. Her book is powerful like cacti, full of magic like the night in the desert, and spicy like the chili that burns in the candles on Good Friday. Laura is a ranch witch by birth, heritage, and will, and an excellent exponent of real witchcraft in northern Mexico."
—Paola Klug, author of Relatos de las Brujas Morenas and Grimorio de las Brujas Morenas
 
“Davila gives you everything, no holds barred, from recipes for the capirotada dessert served at Eastertide to powerful polvos designed for use in the intense love domination spells known as amarres. This is a book and an author that holds nothing back, and anyone attempting to learn about Mexican folk magic should be eager to learn from Davila’s work.”
—Cory Thomas Hutcheson, author of New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic
 
“Laura Davila has written an outstanding book on my favorite subject: the tried-and-true sorcery born of necessity. Magic that, like love, transcends all time and space. The souls of the oppressed live in her every word. Their presence gives a bittersweet weight to her words without weighing them down. This book is about magic, but, most of all, it is about resilience and family and the ties that bind us in eternity. There are only a handful of books I have read that permanently reside in my heart. Mexican Sorcery: A Practical Guide to Brujeria de Rancho by Laura Davila is now one of them.” 
—Mary-Grace Fahrun, author of Italian Folk Magic: Rue’s Kitchen Witchery 

“A meticulously researched guide for the seeker of Mexican folk magic, Laura Davila’s Mexican Sorcery explores the folk Catholic aspects of this magia (magic) from a perspective grounded in history and founded on authentic practice. With its practical approach to brujeria del rancho, Mexican Sorcery is a valuable resource for any modern practitioner.”
—Alexis A. Arredondo and Eric J. Labrado of City Alchemist, authors of Magia Magia: Invoking Mexican Magic and Blood of Brujeria: Traditional Mexican Curses X Defense
 
 “Never before has there been a Brujeria book written in English that contains so much heart and soul. Mexican Sorcery is the book that will change the magical community’s understanding of our magia forever.”
—J. Allen Cross, author of American Brujeria: Modern Mexican American Folk Magic
 
“Laura Davila presents the pure magic of our cultura in an authentic way approachable to both experienced workers of Mexican magic as well as non-Latinx folks wanting a better understanding of how we do things in the ranchos. Abundant in cultural history, Mexican Sorcery sheds light on this extremely effective yet often overlooked magic of our Mexican culture. Encompassing health, wealth, love, and more, Davila reveals and gives cultural insight into how the pragmatic magic of our rural Mexico can be authentically adapted by anyone truly intent to learn its secrets.”  
—Tomás Prower, author of La Santa Muerte: Unearthing the Magic and Mysticism of Death
 
“Whether you’re Mexican and looking to practice Brujeria, or non-Mexican and hoping to broaden your understanding of global witchcraft traditions, Mexican Sorcery is a must-read. Davila draws from her knowledge as a fifth-generation Mexican witch to present a clear rundown of the theory and practice of Hechicería. The book also looks at folk magic through a liberatory, anti-oppression lens.”
—Julia Glassman, themarysue.com 

From the Publisher

Mexican Sorcery touches on topics of Mexican folk magic that many people, including myself, have questions about but don’t know where to look. For anyone interested in Mexican folk magic, this book will become a staple.” —Robyn Valentine, creator of Tired Witch, author of Magickal Tarot
 

Reviews