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95th out of 285 books
—
291 voters
Witchcraft in the Southwest: Spanish and Indian Supernaturalism on the Rio Grande
by
Marc Simmons
"This is a detailed, scholarly treatise on witchcraft on the Rio Grande, past and present. The author first surveys briefly the history of witchcraft in Europe and then describes how witchcraft beliefs and practices were brought to the New World and combined with indigenous beliefs about the supernatural. Included are accounts of witch-hunts and witchcraft crazes from the...more
Paperback, 184 pages
Published
March 1st 1980
by Bison Books
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Readable, not academic. Validated many of the stories I'd been told growing up in Santa Fe, some of which appear in my novel, The Sandoval Sisters' Secret of Old Blood. Of particular note, is Simmons' claim that Nambe was the seat of much witchcraft. www.thesandovalsisters.com
Quite a mixed bag. The author is covering a lot of ground, and in doing so, must necessarily condense, omit, and gloss over complex traditions and belief systems. The greatest benefit is the collection of stories used to illustrate various aspects of the beliefs surrounding witchcraft (and what earns my "stars" in this rating). Unfortunately, most of the text reads as a dry reporting of beliefs and stories: some people think this, and here's a story that relates to that. There's no central thesi...more
Jul 30, 2011
CD
added it
At one point I thought I might write the next great horror book and I would use this as my background research. It is very interesting. Turns out, I like reading more than writing.
NEVER read this piece of racist trash!!! This author/researcher doesn't give his subject a bit of compassion. He writes about witches and curanderas in "the Southwest" (all of the subjects live in New Mexico) without any respect for their craft (!), healing powers, and often benevolence. He specifically states that his book is dedicated to special women in his life are "not witches." He better have garlic around his bed.
A fascinating look at the spiritual aspect of modern Native American tribes and the history of native religions when combined with modern religions.
Modern-day tribes, while converted to new religions, still practice and believe in aspects of past religions, religions their ancestors practiced.
Modern-day tribes, while converted to new religions, still practice and believe in aspects of past religions, religions their ancestors practiced.
This was in interesting book. Lots of stories about those accused of witchcraft. I didn't know the potion business was so big in The Southwest!! Marc Simmons is one of my fav writers.
I learned a lot of the written history of Spanish Christian culture meets Indigenous culture. This books anecdotes became numorous and I eventually started skimming to finish it.
Jul 15, 2012
Sandra Ramos O'Briant
added it
Readable, not academic. Validated many of the stories I'd been told growing up in Santa Fe, some of which appears in my novel, The Sandoval Sisters' Secret of Old Blood. Of particular note, is Simmons' claim that Nambe was the seat of much witchcraft. www.thesandovalsisters.com
May 21, 2013
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