"Faith and Fidencio, dialogues through photograph"

This event is hosted by the Latinx Studies Working Group in EMR.

Please join us for a lecture by photographer, Patricia Méndez Obregón. Patricia was born in Navojoa, in the state of Sonora, México, in 1966. Since 1998, she has dedicated her work to observe, investigate and document the ceremonies and rites related to the figure of “El Niño Fidencio” in Espinazo in thestate of Nuevo León. She is the author of the photographic project “Fe y Fidencio” (Faith and FidencioCo-sponsored by The Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights and Observatory of the Instituto Cervantes

In this discussion, Patricia will share her photographs reflections on the social implications of the current situation of the fidencist movement. The activities of this group started with José Fidencio Síntora Constantino, popularly known as 'El Niño Fidencio', born in 1898 in Guanajuato, Mexico. He arrived to Espinazo, Nuevo Leon at the beginning of 1920's as a farm worker and soon became a 'healer' who used local herbs and techniques for healing. He never charged for his services, and helped many people with different kind of illnesses. He became famous and his talents were widely spread. One of the most important moments was in 1928, when the president of Mexico, Plutarco Elías Calles, visited him in Espinazo. El Niño Fidencio died in 1938, and before that, he said that his spirit will continue helping and healing people and that is what is happening now. Fidencio´s spirit takes the bodies of the ‘materias’ or ‘cajitas’ to help and heal people in different places from the Center-North of Mexico and the Center-South of USA.­