“The CVS of [Afro-Caribbean] Religion[s]”*: Botánicas in Worcester, Misconceptions and Realities

Coauthors: Ahmed Abdelgadir, Crystal Almanzar, Michelle Cuddy, Brittany French, William Landergan, Julia Maki, Maureen McKeon, Joanna Mergeche, Emilia Salamán, John Sluker

Advisor: Professor Rosa Carrasquillo

We dedicate this paper to Professor William Meinhofer, who supported this project from its inception.

María Tejeda and Afro-Latin America History Class at Botánica San Miguel
(photo by Rosa Carrasquillo)

Introduction

     In the United States, the Latino population is the fastest growing minority group. According to the 2000 Census, Latinos represented 13.3% of the U.S. population.¹ The Latino population in Worcester is consistent with the national figures, reported as 15.15% of the city's population in 2000. Historically, Latinos from the Caribbean, mostly of African descent, settled in New England. Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and recently Dominicans dominate the demographics.² Afro-Caribbean people in New England influence the communities they settle in, bringing their culture and religions and establishing businesses of all types.

     One of the first Latino businesses in many New England communities is the botánica which is an ethnic healing stores that serve Afro-Caribbean religions, especially Santería and Espiritismo. These religions are often seen as taboo or primitive or completely unknown to the U.S. public. Historically, these religions and botánicas have served as “quintessential cultural mélanges” that with an increasing Latino population in the city have become increasingly present.³ New York City has 147 botánicas, a sharp contrast to the two botánicas currently open in Worcester. While the earliest origins of botánicas in New York City have been traced to the 1900's,⁴ the first botánica in Worcester did not open until 1973,⁵ and their presence has not developed in a similar manner. This article addresses the contrast by tackling three main goals: (1) To understand the role of botánicas in Worcester in comparison to the successful picture of New York City. Why are there only two botánicas in Worcester when there is a large percentage of Latinos? (2) To estimate the cultural significance of botánicas in the larger community, what is the role of botánicas in Worcester? and (3) To collaborate with the College of the Holy Cross's efforts to improve relations with the Worcester community. Using personal interviews and participant observation, data was collected regarding healers and their botánicas in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Background

     Santería or Espiritismo are part of the African Diaspora to the Americas and have a rich history. Santería comes from the Yoruba, an ethnic group originating in Nigeria. The Yoruba believe in many deities (orishas) which like Roman or Greek gods, have human-like qualities, including flaws and strengths. The purpose of the religion is to facilitate communication between orishas and humans in order to establish physical and spiritual balance. In the Americas, these Yoruba beliefs were masked with multiple aspects of Catholicism, providing a safe form of experiencing Yoruba religion within the Church.⁶

Shrine to Ogún at Steve Quintana's house, showing the orisha's
connection to metal and weaponry.
(photo by Maureen McKeon)

     Likewise, the Catholic Church did not approve of Espiritismo, the Caribbean rework of Allan Kardec's belief system. In the nineteenth century, Europe and the United States began to experiment with Spiritism, the ability to speak with the dead through various methods like levitations and table rappings. When Spiritism was introduced in the Spanish Caribbean, many freethinkers adopted it to express their discontent with colonial governments. Rapidly, people of African descent, who found this religion particularly appealing, adopted Spiritism. Affirming important aspects of Afro-Caribbean worldview, Spiritism offered “new methods” to communicate with spirits. To facilitate this community an espiritista, a religious leader, translates what ever the spirits advice in order to resolve any human infliction.⁷

     Both Santeria an Espiritista are represented in the botánicas of Worcester. Frank Rosario, a santero from Puerto Rico, came to the United States when he was eighteen. He has been in contact with the spiritual world since his youth and in June 2006 opened Botánica Las Mercedes on Pleasant Street as a result of a calling he received from the orisha, Obatalá.⁸ María Tejeda, an Espiritista from the Dominican Republic, and owner of the Botánica San Miguel, located on Chandler Street, is named for the saint she associates herself with.⁹ Ms. Tejeda realized she had the ability to communicate with the spirits at the age of seven and afterwards, was instructed by her aunt in the spiritual realm.

The Calling

     Each botánica owner has a unique life-long spiritual calling. Ms. Tejeda expressed her calling to be a selfless and helpful support system for the Worcester community. Intending to spend only two months in Worcester, she came and felt as though someone needed to attend to the problems of Latinos. After spending ten years in the city, she is content with her influence in the community. She remarked that she serves as a source of strength and refuge for those who need support, and also emphasized the beauty and goodness of Espiritismo.¹⁰ Likewise, Mr. Rosario professed a desire to open a botánica since his youth. He feels that it is his responsibility to serve as an intermediary between the people and their spirits.¹¹

     These botánicas provide a variety of services for their clientele. On location, the botánica owners sell an array of perfumes, oils, candles, statues, cards, mats, and other products. The owners themselves administer several healing rituals. Botánicas affiliated with Santería, such as Botánica Las Mercedes, offer consultations, divinatory methods such as card and shell readings, spiritual masses, community gatherings, and other spiritual ceremonies. Botánicas affiliated with Espiritismo, like Botánica San Miguel, also offer consultations, card readings, and similar healing rituals. Most consultations take place at the botánica but some of the rituals are held at the homes of the clients. The purposes underlying these rituals vary from physical healing to spiritual cleansing. In the process of performing these rituals, the Santeros and Espiritistas communicate with the spiritual beings to discern the problems at hand. Mr. Rosario explained that the ceremonies and rituals they perform are meant to protect the individual, and never to inflict harm upon others. Mr. Rosario added that because spirits have the potential to damage us, it is important to conduct practices that will protect ourselves, and this protection is achieved without harming other people. Occasionally, the botánica owners are confronted with physical ailments beyond their healing capabilities and consequently, they must refer their clients to medical practitioners.¹²

Prayer candles, perfumes, statuettes of saints and rosary beads for sale at
Botánica Las Mercedes.
(photo by Maureen McKeon)

     Botánica owners in Worcester serve as a complimentary component to their surrounding communities. The Santeros and Espiritistas feel that they have an innate duty to serve the needs of the community and perceive their efforts and religions to be truly beneficial for the public. Studies conducted by Sara Trillo-Adams, director of the Latino Mental Health Project of Worcester, have shown that Latino populations tend to receive unsatisfactory mental health services.¹³ In order to fulfill their responsibilities to the communities, Santeros and Espiritistas establish botánicas to offer an alternative to traditional mental health services and provide clients with the aid they need. As Mr. Quintana remarked, botánicas are the “CVS of the religion,” offering complimentary mental and physical health services to Latinos.¹⁴ Mr. Quintana and Mr. Rosario, as practicing Santeros, and Ms. Tejeda, as a practicing Espiritista, came to the United States with personal aspirations of providing an outlet for individuals in need.

Body, Mind, and Spirit

     Although Afro-Caribbean religions typically attract people of Latino background, botánica owners provide services to clients from diverse backgrounds including both Anglo-Americans and African-Americans. Generally these clients reside in close proximity to the botánica but owners service clients from all over the United States and even the Caribbean. On average the botánica owners deal with anywhere between five to ten clients per week, the majority of which are women.¹⁵ Many of the clients are regulars especially when the botánica has been in business in one area over a long period. The clientele tend to be older than eighteen, but according to Ms. Tejeda, clients can be as young as eight years of age.¹⁶ People consult the owners of these botánicas with various issues including physical problems, seeking spiritual guidance, personal issues, including job troubles, drug abuse, difficulties in love, and numerous psychological issues.

      The fact that Latinos visit the botánicas for consultation with regards to psychological issues indicates that they are not receiving adequate mental health services.¹⁷ In fact, responding the early 2000s budget crisis, Massachusetts “has severely curtailed access services on the part of immigrants, including legal immigrants.” As a result, “immigrants became ineligible for federal programs such as health services (including mental health services), income support, or emergency services.”¹⁸ In 2001, the US Surgeon General reported that Hispanics and Latinos were one of four groups in the United States that were receiving inadequate mental health services. To help address this problem in Worcester, the Latino Mental Health Project was developed. The project began in 2002, and it was designed to be “A collaborative to improve access to mental health services in the Latino community of Worcester.”¹⁹ The Project attempted to find information on Latino's mental health needs, locate barriers to seeking treatment, and draw information about their experiences with professional mental health services.²⁰

      The findings of the Project explain why many Latinos have faced problems with mental health services and receiving appropriate treatment. Eighty-six percent of the participants in the interviews reported that they or a family member had experienced a mental health related problem. Many of the conditions that were reported are understood and accepted by the Latino community, but mainstream American psychologists and doctors look them at differently. Any belief in the spirits was diagnosed by professionals as some type of psychosis and was treated with high doses of medication. Therefore it is not surprising that twenty percent of participants in the project said they had felt disrespected when seeking treatment. Another twenty-two percent said they felt negative effects from medicine that was prescribed to them. The study recognizes that Latinos do not feel comfortable seeking treatment that requires the use of modern medicine, which is often ineffective for their specific conditions. Because of cultural barriers, as well as a lack of health insurance and language differences, the status of health services in the Latino community is inadequate. One of the many reasons that Latinos visit botánicas is to supplement or replace modern mental health services that have not been successful in addressing the needs of the Latino population.²¹

     The Mental Health Project also found that a total of fourteen percent of the 166 interviewees admitted to seeking alternative care for these mental-health related problems from a Santero or Espiritista.²² About fifty percent of the interviewees were Puerto Rican and a larger majority was Christian. Many interviewees may have sought out alternative services but did not admit to it because they were afraid of being wrongly judged, perceived as uneducated, or were embarrassed.²³

      Although some clients may lack faith in professional medicine, the owners of botánicas do not hesitate to outsource or recommend that clients seek professional treatment. The owners usually recommend visits to medical doctors as part of their consultation, and often will use a doctor's diagnosis to pinpoint where certain sicknesses are concentrated.²⁴ Ms. Tejeda admitted that there are certain problems, more specifically physical problems, which she is not able to cure and consequently recommends that clients with these problems see a doctor. Currently there are programs, one of which conducted by Boston University Medical School, which informs doctors about Afro-Caribbean religions and how to integrate some of the herbal medicines and traditions into modern professional practice.²⁵ Although the integration between the Afro-Caribbean religious practices and professional medicine is beginning to spread, Worcester is still in the early stages.

The table on which Steve Quintana performs shell (caracol) readings for clients. The red notebook is used to document each reading, so that it can be used to help decipher future readings.
(photo by Maureen McKeon)

The table in the consultation room where María Tejeda gives readings
- the deck of cards are tarot cards she uses for consultations, and below
are the notebooks she uses to record all of her clients readings
(photo by Rosa Carrasquillo)

Through Community Eyes

     While Worcester boasts a sizeable Latino population, it is currently home to only two botánicas. There are a total of five listed in the public phone directory, but only Botánica San Miguel and Botánica Las Mercedes are still open for business.²⁶ It is surprising that so few of these religious businesses have succeeded in a city that has such a high concentration of Latinos, especially those from Caribbean countries, such as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. When a comparison is made between the 147 botánicas of New York City, observed in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of Queens, and the two surviving stores in Worcester, many questions are brought to the forefront.²⁷ The most prominent query that surfaces is why it has been so difficult for botánicas to remain operational in the city of Worcester.

      While he success and influence of botánicas in Worcester seem to be struggling, the nes in Dorcester are striving. Steve Quintana, a renowned Santero in Dorchester, uses his house as a center for many religious gatherings. This could present neighborhood problems, due to the amount of people and the noise level involved in their ceremonies (many times the batá, a sacred drum set used in Santería, is played loudly); however, Mr. Quintana boasts that he has never had encountered negative reactions from the immediate neighborhood.²⁸

Afro-Latin America class at Steve Quintana's house.
(photo by Rosa Carrasquillo)

     In describing the role of his botánica in the community, named The House of Mother Nature, he stated that it was akin to a bodega, a small neighborhood marketplace, but for religious healing products. He imports many of his herbal products from Peru, Chile and various Caribbean countries because they cannot be found in the United States; other products he finds domestically. In his opinion, the most challenging aspect of owning a botánica is managing the inventory of the store - he cannot display 15-20% of his products because there is not enough space in his store. Until recently, the store was located in Jamaica Plain, Boston, but due to the rising cost of rent, Mr. Quintana was forced to move the store to 357 Washington Street in Brighton, Massachusetts. The relocation has been difficult because the Latino community is distanced from the store. He still believes, however, that curently it is easier to open and maintain a botánica in the Boston area than it was when he first opened in 1990. There are ten operational botánicas in Boston, compared with the existence of only two when he started out.²⁹ Despite the long-term success of Mr. Quintana's botánica, he has felt the pressures of the small business economy in Boston. This low rate of success by small businesses is felt statewide, and is therefore applicable to the Worcester economy.

     When looking at one of only two botánicas in Worcester, Botánica Las Mercedes, Mr. Rosario provided an in depth portrayal of the struggle associated with operating such a store in the city. He emigrated from Puerto Rico nineteen years ago and opened his first botánica in June of 2006. For the most part he feels the people of Worcester have welcomed him, and he has earned their appreciation and respect.³⁰

      When members of the community were asked to comment on the existence of Botánica Las Mercedes, a variety of views surfaced. On Pleasant Street, a few storefronts up the road, is an African American clothing store. When asked about the existence of its neighboring botánica, the clerk was extremely unwilling to divulge any feelings concerning it. He stated that he did not want to comment on someone else's store and somewhat hurried the interviewers out of his establishment. This silence seems to be highly indicative of the mystique that often surrounds these religious stores.³¹

      Across the street from Botánica Las Mercedes, at 10 Irving Street, is All Saints Church. The ministry coordinator of the church, Sally Talbot, stated that she was aware of the botánica but was unfamiliar with its exact purpose.³² Ms. Talbot works in the opposite direction of the store and therefore does not have any day-to-day interaction with it. Because of this she and many of the other members of the All Saints Church have become oblivious to people coming and going. She highlights the fact that the neighborhood is one of mixed income and diversity and the turnover of storefronts is tremendous, especially the businesses that have occupied where Botánica Las Mercedes is currently located; there is little parking near the businesses, making it unattractive to potential customers.

Storefront of Botánica Las Mercedes
(photo by Maureen McKeon)

Storefront of Botánica San Miguel.
(photo by Maureen McKeon)

      Bordering Botánica Las Mercedes on the left is Freddy G's Hair Salon. When asked about his knowledge of the neighboring store Freddy G explained that he had never bought anything from them, but sometimes interacted with the store if he needed change. He also mentioned some common misconceptions of the store, saying it was involved in voodoo and witchcraft. Overall, however, Freddy G had no problems with the Botánica Las Mercedes.³³

      As opposed to Botánica Las Mercedes, Botánica San Miguel, located on Chandler Street, has been in business an astonishingly long time considering the transience of many other businesses in the area. After immigrating to the United States with the intention of staying for a mere two months, Ms. Tejeda felt that it was necessary for her to stay and aid the people of Worcester. She believed there was an immediate need for her in the area and thus established Botánica San Miguel. Being open for so long, Ms. Tejeda has seen other botánicas come and go, sometimes even losing customers to new competition. Still, she is reassured of her status due to the return of many customers after realizing that her work “is real and of higher quality than many other places.” Ms. Tejeda boasts of good neighborhood reception with little to no involvement with the police, neighbors, or violence. To her, this highlights the fact that she is doing a good job in her religious vocation by contributing positively to the community. Ms. Tejeda also reiterates that her line of work is a calling and that money is not important. Her only goal is to truly help the members of the community who seek her assistance.³⁴

     Adjacent to the botánica is a Spanish-American restaurant, called El Sazón Latino, which serves a variety of Hispanic foods; Spanish is mainly spoken at the establishment. A server, named María, from the Dominican Republic, was generous enough to comment about her knowledge and opinion of the botánica. She was fully aware of the existence and intent of the botánica - that it sold candles, other religious items, as well as provided spiritual services. She has never received a consultation, but has entered to purchase various items, such as candles and incense. When asked to comment on her view of the botánica, she stressed that Ms. Tejeda has always worked to strengthen the community.³⁵

     Further down at 140 Chandler Street resides Edward's Economy Paint Supply. Upon entering the business, the receptionist, Carol, and older, white woman did not express any knowledge of the existence of the botánica. She stated that she entered and exited the paint supply store in a way that rarely took her past the botánica, so she had not noticed it.³⁶ Her co-worker, Henry, an older, white man, however, expressed ample knowledge about the botánica and its perception by the community.³⁷ He is aware that it exists - on one occasion he entered to buy scented candles to make his house smell nice, in addition to wanting to “help out a fellow Worcester neighbor” with his patronage. Henry states that the botánica is a religious store, but that it practices “their type of religion.” He explains his view that religion depends on how you are brought up, and admits that the religion practiced in the botánica seems much more intense and devout than his religion. Even though he knows that the botánica does not partake in any illegal activity, he hears people say that they think it is a drug place - more specifically, a place where marijuana is sold. In his opinion, the Chandler Street neighborhood causes the botánica to be associated with such things; he explains that if Botánica San Miguel were located in the Solomon Pond Mall, people would probably be impressed with how great the store is. When the social marginalization of community perception is then added to the already troublesome economic situation that faces the botánicas in Worcester, it becomes exponentially more difficult for these businesses to survive.

      In his inaugural speech, Governor Deval Patrick recognizes that there exists a, “… state wide problem that it is extremely difficult for small businesses to stay afloat after opening.” As a consequence, he vows to stay true to his campaign platform and create state wide programs that will, “recognize that most new jobs are created in small businesses, and that we want small businesses to make it in Massachusetts, too.”³⁸ Governor Patrick’s concerns are exemplified through the botánicas in the Worcester community: there are currently five botánicas listed in the 2007 Worcester phone book, although only Botánica San Miguel and Botánica Las Mercedes are the only businesses that are actually functioning. For example, Botánica La Milagrosa is listed at 271 Lincoln Street in the phone book; in a very short period of time – between the publication of the phone book and February 27, 2007 – this botánica has already gone out of business and “Allure Barber Shop” has replaced it.

Storefront of Allure Barbershop, which now occupies the former
location of Botánica La Milagrosa
(photo by Maureen McKeon)

Summary of Results

     Botánicas in Worcester offer the same services as botánicas in New York City, but because of economic factors, it is more challenging to open a botánica in Worcester than in New York City. Like Anhai Viladrich found in New York, the role of botánicas in Worcester is complementary to modern medicine.³⁹ While they are often able to address their physical, spiritual and psychological problems through the services of to botánica, practitioners will turn to mainstream professional care physical ailments requiring surgery or serious treatment, particularly when recommended in a spiritual consultation. In addition, the botánicas provide a place of cultural validation and a resource to build community.

     Although the botánica owners were initially hesitant to participate in this project, the interviews conducted have opened a dialogue between the College of the Holy Cross and these religious practitioners, and all individuals interviewed extended an open invitation to return to their stores. The Worcester community will benefit though Sara Trillo-Adams, Director of the Latino Mental Health Project of Worcester, who hopes to provide Latinos with other mental health alternatives by referring to this article.

In the baskets there are apples, oranges, pineapples, cabbages, squash, and lemons
used as offerings to the orishas in religious community gatherings
at Steve Quintana's house.
(photo by Maureen McKeon)

Notes