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The Mysterious Botanicas of Los Angeles
In downtown Los Angeles you’ll find an innocuous corner store called Farmacia Y Botanica Million Dollar. Here you can buy aspirin, soap, rubbing alcohol and Pepto-Bismol. Just beyond the toothpaste and mouthwash, you’ll notice a plethora of colorful plastic bottles in a section labeled Aguas Espirituales (“spirit water”). For a mere $6.50 per bottle, you can purchase a dose of spiritual power to help you cope with life’s difficulties. For those with business problems there’s Exito En Los Negocios (“Success in Business”). Having romance issues? Try Haz Que Te Ama (“Make Her Love You”). Are you being sued? How about Caso De Corte (“Court Case”).
This is the realm of the botanica, an urban retail store specializing in folk remedies, religious candles and magical amulets. Botanicas are sprinkled throughout cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami and wherever there are large Hispanic populations.
The Spanish term botanica translates to “plant store.” Botanicas offer medicinal herbs and alternative medical treatments. They cater to those living beneath the poverty line and without access to standard medical care. Customers can find “cures” for arthritis, hair loss, diabetes, and menstrual pain. They can also find potions to overcome evil curses and bad luck.
The roots of the botanica stretch back to Africa and the slave trade. When slaves were captured and taken to Cuba, many adopted Santeria, a folk religion synthesizing elements of Catholicism, voodoo, and spirit communication. As Santeria spread through Central America to the new world, botanicas arose as gathering places to practice religion and teach herbal remedies. The practice of folk healing was called Curanderismo and the person who passed on this knowledge was called a Curandero.
Botanicas offer spiritual cures for supernatural maladies. They carry products used in Roman Catholic religious practices like rosary beads, holy water and statues of saints. Many botanicas have a shrine dedicated to the popular saint La Santa Muerte (“Holy Death”). Customers make offerings of food and money to the saint in exchange for good fortune and spiritual protection.
As you drive through east Los Angeles, botanicas are found in strange places. They’re wedged behind car repair shops, next to tequila bars, in the…
