A War of Witches

An overheard plot to do away with an unwanted son-in-law begins this mesmerizing and astonishing journey into the Aztec underworld - a world of magical dreams and mysterious healing, shadowed by a deadly justice. Aided by two local curanderos, or healers, American anthropologist Timothy Knab embarks on a spellbinding adventure of sacred Atzec rituals and mystical dream journeys into Talocan, the underworld of gods and lost souls. Along the way, he begins to understand the Aztec belief system and the art of healing, as well as the dark past of San Martin - infamous throughout Mexico for its brujos, or witches, and a mysterious "War of Witches" fifty years earlier that may never have ended. Capturing time and place as surely as a jeweler sets a stone, Timothy Knab chronicles his spiritual immersion into the contemporary Aztec culture and, ultimately, his remarkable transformation into an authentic curandero.

First sentence: I had been sitting inside with the old gentleman most of the morning while he helped me translate a tape of one of his fantastic stories I had made several days before.

Year

1995

Language

English

Publisher

Westview Press

Editions

3

Pages

240

ISBN

9780813333878

Data source: Wikidata