August 15, 2025 • 16 mins
A small town in the Mexican state of Veracruz is home to an annual witch festival and has a long tradition of magical and occult practices.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Welcome to Mexico Unexplained, where we will explore the magic,
the mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico. This series presents
information based partly on theory and conjecture. The podcaster's purpose
is to suggest some possible explanation, but not necessarily the
only ones to the subjects we will examine. Here is
your host, Robert Viitto.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Welcome and we being beneath those to episode number one
hundred and six txty three of Mexico Unexplained, where we
examine the magic, the mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico.
I'm your host, Robert Biddo. The town of Katemaco, in
the Mexican state of Veracruz is located at across roads
of geography, time and space. The name of this lakeside
(01:19):
jungle town of thirty five thousand comes from the language
of the ancient Aztec Nawat and roughly means the place
of the burning house. Long cut off from the rest
of Mexico. The railroad first came here in nineteen twelve,
and roads connecting it with the rest of the state
of Veracruz only in the nineteen fifties. Katmacho's remoteness and
(01:44):
its seemingly indifferent attitude toward the outside world allowed for
the development of a unique ambiance in this town. From
pre Hispanic times, From probably before the Aztecs gave the
region its name, the area has been known as a
place of magic and sorcery. The arrival of successive waves
(02:06):
of people to the area has added to the magical
nature of Katemaco. While still mostly indigenous, in the century
or so after the Spanish conquest, the area began to
receive escaped slaves and along with them their African belief
systems and cultures. When European civilization caught up with Katemaco,
(02:28):
the Spanish introduced Catholicism to a population that was a
blend of several native groups and various African nationalities. The
already established class of chamanes or sorcerers in the town
incorporated Catholic saints and rituals into their magical practices. In
(02:48):
addition to the more occult and spiritual aspects of the town,
the area has long been a center for herbalism, as
many different plants with curative properties grow abundantly in the
jungle surrounding the town of Koatemaco. Cures combining different plants
and plant extracts have provided relief for hundreds of different ailments,
(03:12):
and the indigenous medicinal plant wisdom runs deep. Over the years,
the herbalist traditions have melded with the overlapping spiritual belief
systems found here. Centuries later. The blend of traditions is
often hard to trace, but most recognize that what is
happening in Katumaco is very powerful and unique to the region.
(03:36):
The locals have realized this too. In nineteen seventy, the
brujo mayor or head sorcerer of Katemaco, a man named
Gonzalo Aguire, decided to get together with the rest of
the spiritual and magical practitioners in the town to put
together the first Witch's Conference. Aguire inherited the position from
(03:57):
a man named Manuel Utrera, who served as the town's
had Brujo for many years and had his own ideas
of uniting the various magical practitioners of the area, but
never acted on those ideas. While the whole modern concept
of a witch has been traditionally female, the majority of
the maestro senciensias ocultas, or masters in occult sciences of
(04:23):
Katmaca or men. This may be a result of the
heavy influence of the indigenous and African cultures on the
area's magical and occult traditions, which favored men as spiritual
teachers and healers. The Aztecs had nearly forty types of
formal classifications for sorcerers and specialists of various magical arts,
(04:45):
and all of the roles were filled by men. The
tradition of the African village witch doctor was also a
traditionally male role, so Katamaco now has institutionalized a brotherhood
of male witches called the Trese Brujos or Thirteen Sorcerers.
Without being too tripped up on trying to define the
(05:07):
nuances existing among the titles of the various people involved,
the term used to describe the various practitioners in Coatemaco
are numerous. Some prefer the English equivalent of which sorcerer, warlock, shaman,
or healer. The most commonly used Spanish word is brujo,
(05:27):
which translates to male witch in English. As previously mentioned,
since nineteen seventy the sorcerers of all different kinds have
gotten together to have an annual conference. The original name
of the gathering was El Congresso nacionalde Brujos de Katemaco
or in English, the National Congress of Sorcerers of Katemaco.
(05:50):
Even into the twenty first century, the Catholic Church has
always been against any gatherings of witches. Because of harsh
criticism from local and regional Catholic Church officials and the
bad pr that went along with it, the town's coven
of thirteen decided to change the name of the gathering
in two thousand eight. The newly rebranded annual festival is
(06:14):
now known as Fiesta de Rito Ceremonias Artesanias Machicos or
in English, the Festival of Magical Rites, Ceremonies and Handcrafts.
It now attracts hundreds of witches, sorcerers, curanderos, psychics, healers,
fortune tellers, and many Charlatans. Even groups of Central European
(06:36):
gypsies known also as the Ram come to Katemaco for
the festival. Thousands of tourists also participate, and mostly come
from other parts of Mexico, although outsiders are arriving in
greater numbers with each passing year. The annual celebration always
takes place over the course of three days, starting at
(06:56):
the stroke of midnight on the last Friday of March.
The Brujos chose that time of year the early spring
because it corresponded with many renewal and rebirth rituals that
have been practiced and celebrated in different forms in the
area for hundreds or possibly thousands of years. The which
fiesta always kicks off with a black mass on the
(07:20):
shores of Lake Katemaco. The mass includes a public burning
of a ten foot star, usually six pointed. The burning
of the star, according to the current Brujo mayor of
the town, Jaime Berevon Asamar, is so that quote both
the good and evil gates will open end quote. During
(07:41):
the festival, Berebon states, both black and white magic are
performed and the rituals can take on many forms. Berevon
started as a sorcerer's apprentice at age thirteen and specializes
in exorcisms and what are termed limpias or spiritual cleansings
to rear a client of bad vibrations or to restore
(08:03):
one's aura to a higher frequency. A standard Katemaco Olympia
involves a chicken egg, sprigs of rosemary combined with a
fragrant local jungle plant, candles, a glass of water, and
either incense or perfume. To start, the practitioner will whisper
(08:23):
several prayers to the Catholic Saints while he lights the
candles and prepares the bundles of herbs. Then he rubs
the client's body with the plant bundle, continuing the prayer whispers.
After finishing the plant rub down, the sorcerer takes the
intact egg and gently rubs it over the person's body,
much as he does with the bundle of herbs. After
(08:45):
rubbing down that person's body with the egg, he then
cracks the egg into a glass of water. This is
the divinatory part of the olympia. The brujo will examine
the contents of the glass, and by looking at the
patterns of the ctagg and water, he will give the
client advice about the future or will suggest different courses
(09:06):
of action that he or she will need to take
in that glass. The person performing the olympia can also
see the spiritual causes of the troubles that his client
may be having and will make suggestions or prescribe herbal
remedies to get the person back into balance. A traditional
Katemac Olympia usually ends with the spring of perfume or
(09:30):
the lighting of sweet incense to mark a new and
clean beginning for the client. A kind of mass Olympia
occurs during the first Friday of the annual Katemaco Fiesta
at a place called Nansiaga. Nansiaga is a clearing in
the jungle surrounded by rows of stone seats like bleachers
(09:51):
in a miniature sports stadium, where shamans like pots of
sweet herb, bundles and chant prayers for a reverent audience.
No archaeological investigations have ever been done on the Nanciaga site,
but locals say that the location has been a place
of ritual and worship since pre conquest times. In an
(10:13):
online interview, Mexican author and witchcraft expert Jose Hil Almos
offered his opinions of the Coatemaco Witch Festival. Olmos is
an investigative journalist for the Mexico City based news magazine
Prosesso and the author of the acclaimed two part book
Los Brujos del Pore or in English, The Witches of Power.
(10:37):
Almost states, with some disappointment, quote the Congress has become
a tourist event, and the mayor usually throws a few
night time shows in the program so that people can
dance and get drunk. So if you go looking for
a surprising Sorcerer's Congress, you end up attending a show.
End quote. He also said quote A lot of the
(11:00):
witches are con artists, so you have to ask around
for the real ones. End quote. Later in the interview,
almost countered his disappointment by affirming, quote, the first night
is special, that's when both black magic and white magic
rituals take place. And considering Katamaco is a beautiful place,
(11:23):
it is worthwhile visiting. End quote. The surrounding mountainous jungle
area is indeed beautiful, and the Mexican government has set
aside thousands of acres for the Los Tuchela's Biosphere Reserve
to protect the incredible variety of plant and animal life
in and around the Lake Katamaco area. Curiously, part of
(11:46):
the reserve is the tiny east La de Los Changos,
an island in the center of the lake. The island
is so named because it is overrun by a colony
of stump tailed monkeys imported from Thailand nineteen seventy four.
The alien monkeys are not the only strange creatures in
the region. According to the locals, Katemaco residents believe that
(12:10):
the surrounding jungle is home to Chanekis, a mythical race
of mischievous elves. For more information on Chanekis, please see
Mexico and Explained, episode number fifty nine. They also believe
that the dense forests serve as perfect hiding places for nowales,
the animal forms of sorcerers who have decided to shape shift.
(12:34):
For more information on nowales, please see Mexico and Explained,
episode number thirty six. Some of the natural formations in
the surrounding areas are also considered sacred places. These places
include the mountain called Mono Blanco and a natural grotto
in the middle of the jungle full of evil spirits,
(12:55):
appropriately called the Devil's Cave. It was on Mono Blanco
where the former head sorcerer of Katemaco, Gonzalo Alguire, supposedly
met Satan himself and made several deals with him, so
the rumor goes. For those wishing for a perhaps more
authentic spiritual experience with the sorcers of Katemaco, locals recommend
(13:21):
visiting the town in the off season and not during
festival time. Many brujos have set up offices like medical clinics,
complete with waiting and examination rooms. Some list their specializations
on their storefronts and their business cards. One can see
a general practitioner, more commonly known as a maestro in
(13:43):
ciensius ogultas or a master in occult sciences. A popular
specialist in Katemaco is a yorobatero, or one who practices
a certain type of ritualistic massage. Another one is called auro,
who works with a skeletal system, much as a chiropractor
would in western medicine. The specialties are as diverse as
(14:07):
human ailments and concerns if services of practitioners are too costly.
Ambulet shops in the town also serve people looking for
that special charm that will do the trick. Most people
who go to Katamaco to visit the sorcerers are looking
for guidance and reassurance. Those who visit to partake in
(14:28):
the so called black magic usually wish to curse or
destroy their enemies. One of the governors of Vera Cruz,
Fidel Rrera Beltran, proposed setting up a national school of
witchcraft in the town, but it never got off the
ground because of too much opposition from both the Catholic
Church and the general public. Nevertheless, there is something for
(14:52):
everyone in Katatemaco, and the town boasts of hosting many
celebrities and politicians. The current press President of Mexico, Andres
Manuel Lopez Obrador, was said to have been a frequent
visitor of certain high ranking brujos in the town, although
it is unknown if he is still in contact with
(15:12):
any of the sorcerers of Katemaco. It is said that
the President may have used them in his inauguration ceremonies
at the Sokolow in Mexico City on December one, twenty eighteen,
witnessed by millions. Perhaps the power of the Sorcerers of
Katemaco is more far reaching than anyone could imagine. For now,
(15:36):
they remain a focus of curiosity and the standard bearers
of a long and complicated tradition. Thank you once again
for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained. Remember to
like and subscribe to us on YouTube and follow us
on Twitter. Tell your friends by sharing these shows with others.
Please go to our website Mexico on explain dot com
(15:58):
for references, illustrations, and for re access to transcripts of
past shows. Please visit Amazon dot com to purchase the
book Mexico Unexplained to get a hard copy of the Magic,
the Mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico. We appreciate your
kind attention. Once again, until next time, Thank you, engracias.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Thank you for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained
with host Robert Bitto. For show summary, relevant links, and commentary,
Please check out our website at Mexicoexplained dot com, Like
us on Facebook and be a part of the conversation.
Addie on sant Haste la Vista
Welcome to Mexico Unexplained, where we will explore the magic,
the mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico. This series presents
information based partly on theory and conjecture. The podcaster's purpose
is to suggest some possible explanation, but not necessarily the
only ones to the subjects we will examine. Here is
your host, Robert Viitto.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Welcome and we being beneath those to episode number one
hundred and six txty three of Mexico Unexplained, where we
examine the magic, the mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico.
I'm your host, Robert Biddo. The town of Katemaco, in
the Mexican state of Veracruz is located at across roads
of geography, time and space. The name of this lakeside
(01:19):
jungle town of thirty five thousand comes from the language
of the ancient Aztec Nawat and roughly means the place
of the burning house. Long cut off from the rest
of Mexico. The railroad first came here in nineteen twelve,
and roads connecting it with the rest of the state
of Veracruz only in the nineteen fifties. Katmacho's remoteness and
(01:44):
its seemingly indifferent attitude toward the outside world allowed for
the development of a unique ambiance in this town. From
pre Hispanic times, From probably before the Aztecs gave the
region its name, the area has been known as a
place of magic and sorcery. The arrival of successive waves
(02:06):
of people to the area has added to the magical
nature of Katemaco. While still mostly indigenous, in the century
or so after the Spanish conquest, the area began to
receive escaped slaves and along with them their African belief
systems and cultures. When European civilization caught up with Katemaco,
(02:28):
the Spanish introduced Catholicism to a population that was a
blend of several native groups and various African nationalities. The
already established class of chamanes or sorcerers in the town
incorporated Catholic saints and rituals into their magical practices. In
(02:48):
addition to the more occult and spiritual aspects of the town,
the area has long been a center for herbalism, as
many different plants with curative properties grow abundantly in the
jungle surrounding the town of Koatemaco. Cures combining different plants
and plant extracts have provided relief for hundreds of different ailments,
(03:12):
and the indigenous medicinal plant wisdom runs deep. Over the years,
the herbalist traditions have melded with the overlapping spiritual belief
systems found here. Centuries later. The blend of traditions is
often hard to trace, but most recognize that what is
happening in Katumaco is very powerful and unique to the region.
(03:36):
The locals have realized this too. In nineteen seventy, the
brujo mayor or head sorcerer of Katemaco, a man named
Gonzalo Aguire, decided to get together with the rest of
the spiritual and magical practitioners in the town to put
together the first Witch's Conference. Aguire inherited the position from
(03:57):
a man named Manuel Utrera, who served as the town's
had Brujo for many years and had his own ideas
of uniting the various magical practitioners of the area, but
never acted on those ideas. While the whole modern concept
of a witch has been traditionally female, the majority of
the maestro senciensias ocultas, or masters in occult sciences of
(04:23):
Katmaca or men. This may be a result of the
heavy influence of the indigenous and African cultures on the
area's magical and occult traditions, which favored men as spiritual
teachers and healers. The Aztecs had nearly forty types of
formal classifications for sorcerers and specialists of various magical arts,
(04:45):
and all of the roles were filled by men. The
tradition of the African village witch doctor was also a
traditionally male role, so Katamaco now has institutionalized a brotherhood
of male witches called the Trese Brujos or Thirteen Sorcerers.
Without being too tripped up on trying to define the
(05:07):
nuances existing among the titles of the various people involved,
the term used to describe the various practitioners in Coatemaco
are numerous. Some prefer the English equivalent of which sorcerer, warlock, shaman,
or healer. The most commonly used Spanish word is brujo,
(05:27):
which translates to male witch in English. As previously mentioned,
since nineteen seventy the sorcerers of all different kinds have
gotten together to have an annual conference. The original name
of the gathering was El Congresso nacionalde Brujos de Katemaco
or in English, the National Congress of Sorcerers of Katemaco.
(05:50):
Even into the twenty first century, the Catholic Church has
always been against any gatherings of witches. Because of harsh
criticism from local and regional Catholic Church officials and the
bad pr that went along with it, the town's coven
of thirteen decided to change the name of the gathering
in two thousand eight. The newly rebranded annual festival is
(06:14):
now known as Fiesta de Rito Ceremonias Artesanias Machicos or
in English, the Festival of Magical Rites, Ceremonies and Handcrafts.
It now attracts hundreds of witches, sorcerers, curanderos, psychics, healers,
fortune tellers, and many Charlatans. Even groups of Central European
(06:36):
gypsies known also as the Ram come to Katemaco for
the festival. Thousands of tourists also participate, and mostly come
from other parts of Mexico, although outsiders are arriving in
greater numbers with each passing year. The annual celebration always
takes place over the course of three days, starting at
(06:56):
the stroke of midnight on the last Friday of March.
The Brujos chose that time of year the early spring
because it corresponded with many renewal and rebirth rituals that
have been practiced and celebrated in different forms in the
area for hundreds or possibly thousands of years. The which
fiesta always kicks off with a black mass on the
(07:20):
shores of Lake Katemaco. The mass includes a public burning
of a ten foot star, usually six pointed. The burning
of the star, according to the current Brujo mayor of
the town, Jaime Berevon Asamar, is so that quote both
the good and evil gates will open end quote. During
(07:41):
the festival, Berebon states, both black and white magic are
performed and the rituals can take on many forms. Berevon
started as a sorcerer's apprentice at age thirteen and specializes
in exorcisms and what are termed limpias or spiritual cleansings
to rear a client of bad vibrations or to restore
(08:03):
one's aura to a higher frequency. A standard Katemaco Olympia
involves a chicken egg, sprigs of rosemary combined with a
fragrant local jungle plant, candles, a glass of water, and
either incense or perfume. To start, the practitioner will whisper
(08:23):
several prayers to the Catholic Saints while he lights the
candles and prepares the bundles of herbs. Then he rubs
the client's body with the plant bundle, continuing the prayer whispers.
After finishing the plant rub down, the sorcerer takes the
intact egg and gently rubs it over the person's body,
much as he does with the bundle of herbs. After
(08:45):
rubbing down that person's body with the egg, he then
cracks the egg into a glass of water. This is
the divinatory part of the olympia. The brujo will examine
the contents of the glass, and by looking at the
patterns of the ctagg and water, he will give the
client advice about the future or will suggest different courses
(09:06):
of action that he or she will need to take
in that glass. The person performing the olympia can also
see the spiritual causes of the troubles that his client
may be having and will make suggestions or prescribe herbal
remedies to get the person back into balance. A traditional
Katemac Olympia usually ends with the spring of perfume or
(09:30):
the lighting of sweet incense to mark a new and
clean beginning for the client. A kind of mass Olympia
occurs during the first Friday of the annual Katemaco Fiesta
at a place called Nansiaga. Nansiaga is a clearing in
the jungle surrounded by rows of stone seats like bleachers
(09:51):
in a miniature sports stadium, where shamans like pots of
sweet herb, bundles and chant prayers for a reverent audience.
No archaeological investigations have ever been done on the Nanciaga site,
but locals say that the location has been a place
of ritual and worship since pre conquest times. In an
(10:13):
online interview, Mexican author and witchcraft expert Jose Hil Almos
offered his opinions of the Coatemaco Witch Festival. Olmos is
an investigative journalist for the Mexico City based news magazine
Prosesso and the author of the acclaimed two part book
Los Brujos del Pore or in English, The Witches of Power.
(10:37):
Almost states, with some disappointment, quote the Congress has become
a tourist event, and the mayor usually throws a few
night time shows in the program so that people can
dance and get drunk. So if you go looking for
a surprising Sorcerer's Congress, you end up attending a show.
End quote. He also said quote A lot of the
(11:00):
witches are con artists, so you have to ask around
for the real ones. End quote. Later in the interview,
almost countered his disappointment by affirming, quote, the first night
is special, that's when both black magic and white magic
rituals take place. And considering Katamaco is a beautiful place,
(11:23):
it is worthwhile visiting. End quote. The surrounding mountainous jungle
area is indeed beautiful, and the Mexican government has set
aside thousands of acres for the Los Tuchela's Biosphere Reserve
to protect the incredible variety of plant and animal life
in and around the Lake Katamaco area. Curiously, part of
(11:46):
the reserve is the tiny east La de Los Changos,
an island in the center of the lake. The island
is so named because it is overrun by a colony
of stump tailed monkeys imported from Thailand nineteen seventy four.
The alien monkeys are not the only strange creatures in
the region. According to the locals, Katemaco residents believe that
(12:10):
the surrounding jungle is home to Chanekis, a mythical race
of mischievous elves. For more information on Chanekis, please see
Mexico and Explained, episode number fifty nine. They also believe
that the dense forests serve as perfect hiding places for nowales,
the animal forms of sorcerers who have decided to shape shift.
(12:34):
For more information on nowales, please see Mexico and Explained,
episode number thirty six. Some of the natural formations in
the surrounding areas are also considered sacred places. These places
include the mountain called Mono Blanco and a natural grotto
in the middle of the jungle full of evil spirits,
(12:55):
appropriately called the Devil's Cave. It was on Mono Blanco
where the former head sorcerer of Katemaco, Gonzalo Alguire, supposedly
met Satan himself and made several deals with him, so
the rumor goes. For those wishing for a perhaps more
authentic spiritual experience with the sorcers of Katemaco, locals recommend
(13:21):
visiting the town in the off season and not during
festival time. Many brujos have set up offices like medical clinics,
complete with waiting and examination rooms. Some list their specializations
on their storefronts and their business cards. One can see
a general practitioner, more commonly known as a maestro in
(13:43):
ciensius ogultas or a master in occult sciences. A popular
specialist in Katemaco is a yorobatero, or one who practices
a certain type of ritualistic massage. Another one is called auro,
who works with a skeletal system, much as a chiropractor
would in western medicine. The specialties are as diverse as
(14:07):
human ailments and concerns if services of practitioners are too costly.
Ambulet shops in the town also serve people looking for
that special charm that will do the trick. Most people
who go to Katamaco to visit the sorcerers are looking
for guidance and reassurance. Those who visit to partake in
(14:28):
the so called black magic usually wish to curse or
destroy their enemies. One of the governors of Vera Cruz,
Fidel Rrera Beltran, proposed setting up a national school of
witchcraft in the town, but it never got off the
ground because of too much opposition from both the Catholic
Church and the general public. Nevertheless, there is something for
(14:52):
everyone in Katatemaco, and the town boasts of hosting many
celebrities and politicians. The current press President of Mexico, Andres
Manuel Lopez Obrador, was said to have been a frequent
visitor of certain high ranking brujos in the town, although
it is unknown if he is still in contact with
(15:12):
any of the sorcerers of Katemaco. It is said that
the President may have used them in his inauguration ceremonies
at the Sokolow in Mexico City on December one, twenty eighteen,
witnessed by millions. Perhaps the power of the Sorcerers of
Katemaco is more far reaching than anyone could imagine. For now,
(15:36):
they remain a focus of curiosity and the standard bearers
of a long and complicated tradition. Thank you once again
for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained. Remember to
like and subscribe to us on YouTube and follow us
on Twitter. Tell your friends by sharing these shows with others.
Please go to our website Mexico on explain dot com
(15:58):
for references, illustrations, and for re access to transcripts of
past shows. Please visit Amazon dot com to purchase the
book Mexico Unexplained to get a hard copy of the Magic,
the Mysteries and the Miracles of Mexico. We appreciate your
kind attention. Once again, until next time, Thank you, engracias.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Thank you for listening to another episode of Mexico Unexplained
with host Robert Bitto. For show summary, relevant links, and commentary,
Please check out our website at Mexicoexplained dot com, Like
us on Facebook and be a part of the conversation.
Addie on sant Haste la Vista
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