Niño Fidencio
Encyclopedia
El Niño Fidencio was a famous Mexican
curandero
. His birth name was José de Jesús Fidencio Constantino Síntora. Today he is revered by the Fidencista Christian Church. The Catholic Church does not recognize his official status as a saint
, but his following has extended through the northern part of Mexico
and the southwest of United States
. This situation allows El Niño Fidencio to be recognized as a folk saint
.
While in elementary school, he met Father Segura, as well as Enrique López de la Fuente, who was the janitor as well as his friend, and later, his protector. They both worked to help the priest with religious services, and it was at this time that Fidencio learned to work with herbs
and how to to cure.
, Michoacán
, where the latter worked until he decided to join the Mexican Revolution
, causing them to be separated for nine years. Fidencio then moved to Loma Sola, Coahuila
, where he lived with his sister Antonia.
At the age of fifteen, Fidencio attended school in Mina
, Nuevo León
, a town close to Espinazo. According to Raúl Cadena, Fidencio did not develop sexually, was always clean-shaven, had a soft voice, and never engaged in sexual activity.
In 1921, Enrique returned from the revolutionary struggle and went to work for Antonio L. Rodríguez at the San Rafael mine in Espinazo. There he had several children, and, needing help in caring for them, went to his childhood friend. Fidencio came to town that year, and remained there for the rest of his life. It was at this point that he began to perform healings.
On February 8, 1928, President Plutarco Elías Calles
visited Espinazo and attended a healing session with Niño Fidencio. Although the president's ailment was unknown to the public at the time, Enrique records that he was suffering from nodular leprosy.
...
which the congregation threw offerings around, and a mud puddle in which his followers bathed.
According to devotees, Fidencio continues to work miracles through objects called Little Boxes.
and the sale of religious objects and services.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
curandero
Curandero
A curandero or curandeiro is a traditional folk healer or shaman in Latin America, who is dedicated to curing physical or spiritual illnesses. The role of a curandero or curandera can also incorporate the roles of psychiatrist along with that of doctor and healer. Many curanderos use Catholic...
. His birth name was José de Jesús Fidencio Constantino Síntora. Today he is revered by the Fidencista Christian Church. The Catholic Church does not recognize his official status as a saint
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...
, but his following has extended through the northern part of 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...
and the southwest of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This situation allows El Niño Fidencio to be recognized as a folk saint
Folk saint
Folk saints are dead people or other spiritually powerful entities venerated as saints but not officially canonized. Since they are saints of the "folk", or the populus, they are also called popular saints...
.
While in elementary school, he met Father Segura, as well as Enrique López de la Fuente, who was the janitor as well as his friend, and later, his protector. They both worked to help the priest with religious services, and it was at this time that Fidencio learned to work with herbs
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
and how to to cure.
Adolescence and Adult Life
In 1912, Enrique and Fidencio left for the city of MoreliaMorelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, where the latter worked until he decided to join the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, causing them to be separated for nine years. Fidencio then moved to Loma Sola, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
, where he lived with his sister Antonia.
At the age of fifteen, Fidencio attended school in Mina
Mina, Nuevo León
Mina is town and municipality located at northwestern part of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. The population was 4,309 at the 2005 census. The municipality is part of a historical region called Valle de Salinas which was an administrative area of the New Kingdom of León during the...
, Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, a town close to Espinazo. According to Raúl Cadena, Fidencio did not develop sexually, was always clean-shaven, had a soft voice, and never engaged in sexual activity.
In 1921, Enrique returned from the revolutionary struggle and went to work for Antonio L. Rodríguez at the San Rafael mine in Espinazo. There he had several children, and, needing help in caring for them, went to his childhood friend. Fidencio came to town that year, and remained there for the rest of his life. It was at this point that he began to perform healings.
On February 8, 1928, President Plutarco Elías Calles
Plutarco Elías Calles
Plutarco Elías Calles was a Mexican general and politician. He was president of Mexico from 1924 to 1928, but he continued to be the de facto ruler from 1928–1935, a period known as the maximato...
visited Espinazo and attended a healing session with Niño Fidencio. Although the president's ailment was unknown to the public at the time, Enrique records that he was suffering from nodular leprosy.
...
Cures
Fidencio was famous for performing operations without anaesthesia without causing pain to patients, and provided cures related to specific parts of town, such as a pepper treePepper tree
Pepper tree may refer to:* Trees in the Schinus genus*Macropiper excelsum, Kawakawa a small tree endemic to New Zealand*Two species of the Pseudowintera genus, also known by the Māori name of Horopito...
which the congregation threw offerings around, and a mud puddle in which his followers bathed.
According to devotees, Fidencio continues to work miracles through objects called Little Boxes.
Influence
During his life, a multitude of imitators and impostors appeared, the death of one of whom was mistaken for Fidencio's own. The falsified death was announced by the press, and his funeral prompted a massive outpouring of emotion. His actual death came just over a year later. Decades later, he is still well known in the town of Espinazo, and plays a significant part in the town's economy by generating tourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and the sale of religious objects and services.
Media
- The Mexican writer Felipe MontesFelipe MontesFelipe Montes is a Latin American writer. His literary creations, the already published and those that are in process of creation, gradually mold into one whole and huge work that grows with each written book, which Montes titles Monterrey.-Works:* 1996 Casa natal . Editorial El Reino.* 1998...
devoted part of his work El Evangelio del Niño Fidencio to Niño Fidencio, providing a mystical version of his life. - Quentin TarantinoQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
references Niño Fidencio by name in the movie Death ProofDeath ProofDeath Proof is a 2007 American action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film centers on a psychopathic stunt man who stalks young women before murdering them in staged car accidents using his "death-proof" stunt car...
. - A film about him was directed by Nicolás EchevarríaNicolás EchevarríaNicolás Echevarría is a Mexican film director and cinematographer. He has directed over 20 films since 1973. His 1991 film Cabeza de Vaca was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
.