Don Pedro Jaramillo

Lore & Background

Don Pedro Jaramillo was born in Los Dos Hermanos, Nuevo León, Mexico to mestizo parents. His career as a curandero began after he suffered a nose ailment and daubed his nose with mud at the edge of a pool for three days, which cured him but left a scar. On the third night, he believed he heard a voice telling him God had given him the power to heal. Testing this power, he prescribed a tepid bath to his master, which was said to heal his ailment.

He first came to notice when he arrived at the Los Olmos ranch near Falfurrias, Texas, announced he was a curandero, and began treating Mexican families. At the height of his career, families from as far away as South Texas and northern Mexico traveled to seek his help. He was accompanied on his travels by a friend, Teofilo Barraza, and large groups would camp at Los Olmos Creek awaiting his return from curing trips.

In his treatments, the number nine played a prominent role—prescribing treatments for nine consecutive nights or in quantities of nine. Water was also central, often requiring drinking or bathing for a specified time. Some tales portray him as clairvoyant, knowing if someone was lying about an illness or aware of conversations that took place without him.

Reader's Guide

Don Pedro Jaramillo's significance lies in his role as a curandero and folk saint whose healing practices and generosity left a lasting mark on South Texas and beyond. His treatments, emphasizing water and the number nine, were often considered miraculous, even curing paralysis. The first accounts of his cures were collected and printed in Spanish in 1934 and translated to English in 1951. A state historical marker dedicated in 1971 at his burial site on FM Highway 1418 in Falfurrias was the first in Texas written in both English and Spanish. His legacy continues through a shrine, songs written about him, and his prominent display in Mexican homes as paintings and statues. In 2019, a fictional/supernatural book based on Jaramillo was written, and in 2022 it was adapted into a screenplay.

Did You Know?

• He was born to mestizo parents in Los Dos Hermanos, Nuevo León, Mexico.
• The Texas State historical marker at his burial site, dedicated in 1971, was not the first bilingual marker in Texas.