Case file · Witch trials
The first Congress of Witches, Catemaco
In 1970 Gonzalo Aguirre, the 'brujo mayor' of Catemaco, Veracruz, organised the first gathering of the town's healers and sorcerers; it became an annual March event that made Catemaco Mexico's capital of brujería.
1970 CE · 18.42, -95.11 · status: account
The account
Catemaco's practitioners combine Catholic prayer, Indigenous healing and spiritism. After pressure from the Church, the event was renamed a festival of magical rites in 2008.