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Stephanie Perdomo

Professor Batty

English 101

8 May 2017

Dario the Brujo or Dario the Saint

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble, these are the words one

thinks about in regard to witches (Shakespeare). Western society tends to place negative

connotations toward witches. Similarly, in the Latino community, healers known as curanderos

have often been looked at as brujos or witches. The general feelings toward people who are

healers is that they are working outside of religion and thus are not to be trusted. In Alex

Espinozas novel Still Water Saints, the book has an abundance of characters who can be

considered both saintlike as well as questionable. The novel is centered on a botanica that is

initially founded by the character Dario and later passed onto the protagonist Perla. The people

of Agua Mansa are initially wary of the strange shop until they come to realize that there are

actually some real healing powers. Ultimately the townspeople become reliant of the medicinal

practices of the botanica. Although others would say that Dario is not a saintlike character

because he is a brujo and abandons Perla, I would argue that Dario exemplifies the

characteristics of a saint because he empowers the people of Agua Mansa as well as overcoming

his own personal tribulations.

Dario is an empowering character because he tells the protagonist Perla that she is

someone who has the power to cure people. Similarly, Saint Gabriel is an empowering entity

when he lets the Virgin Mary know that she is pregnant through Immaculate Conception (Pope).

The chapter that Dario is introduced in is prefaced with Saint Gabriel. The correlation between
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Saint Gabriel and Dario is that he is the person who tells Perla that she has the gift, thus

empowering her because it allows Perla to have a sense of purpose in life. This can be illustrated

in the quote, youll never have children. Its the price you pay. But you do have power. I saw it

when you walked in. (75). This proves that Dario is saintlike because he is acting as a direct

source of hope to Perla as well as a messenger doing a selfless act for another person. Dario tells

Perla that she is infertile but will have a purpose in life, which will be curing others. Dario is

mirroring Saint Gabriel in that he is a messenger. Dario is introduced in the first few chapters as

someone who is of questionable character in the eyes of the city of Agua Mansa. He is a

curandero who later teaches the main character about being a curandera, which can be construed

as being a witch or practicing witchcraft.

One of the reasons that Dario is considered to be a witch is because he practices a

religion that is outside of Catholicism. The religion that Dario practices is called Santeria, which

is an African form of worship drawn into a coexistent relationship with Catholicism. Santeria

incorporates elements of many different faiths and so is what's called a 'syncretic' religion.

Santeria, translated into the way of the Saints is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba

beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added to disguise the forbidden

religion (BBC). This gives a backstory on what Dario does and why the people of Agua Mansa

consider his business and beliefs to be abnormal as opposed to the very Catholic practices of

Agua Mansa. This can be demonstrated in the book when he initially arrives to the town and

people begin to gossip, I heard hes a brujo. That he reads cards and talks to the dead. Could it

be true? Pura mentira,... Te lava el coco the Devil, the first woman added. Thats what

he is- the Devil (73). The people of Agua Mansa are not particularly happy about Darios

presence in their quiet town and the fact that he is altering it. However, despite all of this, he has
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never let this stop his practice or made him become an angry person towards the people of the

town.

Dario is continuously pleasant and understanding towards the people of Agua Mansa,

despite their animosity towards him because he is a supposed witch. This shows that despite the

negative connotations of this type of medicine, he was still able to help the community as well as

not letting their negativity stop him from practicing. Perla becomes swayed in favor of Dario and

his botanica when she sees religious statues in the window, Why is everyone afraid? San

Antonios in the window. Theres crucifixes and pictures of Mary and Joseph by the door (73).

Perla is very curious and understanding of the botanica and Dario. She consequently becomes his

apprentice and is handed over the botanica when Dario abruptly leaves town.

Some people might argue that Dario is not an empowering character but rather the

opposite of that because he abandons Perla. Although he taught Perla everything she needed to

know about the botanica and how to cure people, he left much too soon and thus left Perla in a

state of disbelief and discomfort. As exemplified in the book, Perla turned to the boys

grandmother. There. The old woman pointed to the egg, Arent you supposed to break it and

look inside? Oh, Perla said. Yes (7) This proves that Perla was still unsure of what she was

doing all the time and going about the healings by memory rather than true understanding. This

then leads Perla to second guess herself, what she is doing, and whether or not she is worthy of

the attention and praise that she receives by the townspeople. This can be exemplified in the

book, Dario would know what to do, he always knows what to do (71). Dario served as a

person of wisdom and great knowledge. He was a sense of comfort for Perla because he assured

her that if she ever needed help with her healings she could refer to him.
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Although some would say that Dario leaving was selfish and inconsiderate, I would argue

that for a person to truly understand their power and what they are capable of they must first be

thrown into the world. A very well known example of this can be seen when parents teach their

children how to ride a bike and let go of the back to allow them to ride on their own despite the

possibility of them falling. This can also be illustrated in the novel when Perla meets the

character Angela and is telling her just how powerful she is, I can walk on water. The dead,

Perla told her. Spirits and saints. They talk to me. I just have to listen. Look at me, Perla

said, Im here to tell you something. Im here to tell you your baby, he fine. Where he is

(239). This proves that despite Dario leaving somewhat prematurely Perla was able to become

confident in the work that she was doing and even become a staple in the community. Perla, in

this instance, is the child whose parent let go of the bicycle and still managed to ride the bike

despite their fear of falling. Dario therefore is not a bad person because he instilled this power in

Perla as well as ensuring that she was confident in herself to heal others and take over his

botanica.

Another reason why Dario can be considered a saintlike character is because he overcame

the personal struggle of being diagnosed with Polio as a young man. Polio is a contagious viral

illness that in its most severe form causes paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death

(Polio) Dario mentions that the reason why he and others before him have this special power is

because he had to overcome another extreme challenge. Dario mentions to Perla that the reason

why he has Polio and the reason why Perla is infertile is because they have the gift and are meant

to sacrifice something in return. Polio, Dario said. It shrunk my leg. It was my price You-

he pointed to Perla, to her stomach- youll never have children. Its the price you pay. But you

have power, (77). This shows the fact that Dario is empowering because he is not becoming
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emotionally crippled because he is faced with a personal hardship in the way that other people

might. This is not only proving that Dario is a selfless person but someone who has persevered

through hardships and is therefore very admirable. When compared to some of the other

characters in this novel, Dario couldve handled his misfortune in a very different and much less

productive way.

Ultimately, the people of the town of Agua Mansa came to realize that Dario was not

actually a witch but someone to be trusted and even depended on. Dario is a character that has

proved that when someone is empowering and persistent in their life, they can end up being

really helpful for people and become a staple in peoples life. Through him we are given the

protagonist Perla who acts as a vessel for Santeria and even Dario. Dario as well as Perla are

characters that are proving that an alternate form of medicine is not always a bad thing but can

sometimes become heavily relied on and trusted. This is an important thing to note when reading

this novel because it is very easy to get caught up in whos a good person and who is not. The

importance of Dario being a saint is that he has paved a way for people who practice Santeria to

no longer be seen as a witch with ill intentions.

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Works Cited

"BBC - Religions - Santeria: The Growth of Santeria." BBC News. BBC, 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 01

May 2017.

Espinoza, Alex. Still Water Saints: A Novel. London: Picador, 2013. Print.

"Polio." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 11 Mar. 2014.

Web. 09 May 2017.

Pope, Hugh. "St. Gabriel the Archangel." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert

Appleton Company, 1909. 1 May 2017

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. San Diego, CA: Huge Print, 2000. Print.