Teresita Urrea
Encyclopedia
Teresita Urrea is known as the Saint
of Cabora, a town in Sinaloa
, Mexico
, though she was never canonized
by the Roman Catholic Church
. She was born on October 15, 1873, the daughter of a peasant named Cayetana Chavez and a member of the Mexican aristocracy
, Don Tomás Urrea.
Her father acknowledged her as his daughter when she was 16.
She was apprenticed to a curandera, or healer, named Huila, who recognized that the girl had remarkable gifts of healing. It was reported that she could calm patients in extreme pain by looking them in the eyes. She was also reported to have a gift of clairvoyance.
Teresita's healing took on a political dimension. She urged the Yaqui Indians to resist the government of Porfirio Díaz
, which was confiscating their lands. She subsequently was arrested by General Bandala's troops and put in jail in Guaymas and condemned to death. Instead she was exiled from Mexico and spent the rest of her life in the United States, where she wrote political essays in defense of the rights of the poor of Mexico.
She died of consumption
on January 11, 1906 at the age of 33 and is buried in Clifton, Arizona
.
Her life was the subject of the novel The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of Cabora, a town in Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, though she was never canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. She was born on October 15, 1873, the daughter of a peasant named Cayetana Chavez and a member of the Mexican aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, Don Tomás Urrea.
Her father acknowledged her as his daughter when she was 16.
She was apprenticed to a curandera, or healer, named Huila, who recognized that the girl had remarkable gifts of healing. It was reported that she could calm patients in extreme pain by looking them in the eyes. She was also reported to have a gift of clairvoyance.
Teresita's healing took on a political dimension. She urged the Yaqui Indians to resist the government of Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
, which was confiscating their lands. She subsequently was arrested by General Bandala's troops and put in jail in Guaymas and condemned to death. Instead she was exiled from Mexico and spent the rest of her life in the United States, where she wrote political essays in defense of the rights of the poor of Mexico.
She died of consumption
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
on January 11, 1906 at the age of 33 and is buried in Clifton, Arizona
Clifton, Arizona
Clifton is a town in and the county seat of Greenlee County, Arizona, United States, along the San Francisco River. The population of the town was 3,311 at the 2010 census. It was a site of the Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983....
.
Her life was the subject of the novel The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
Luís Alberto Urrea
Luís Alberto Urrea is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and essayist.-Life:Urrea is the son of a Mexican father and an American mother...
.