Witches call up magic in Mexico's Los Tuxtlas

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Mexicans believe there are three types of magic: black, white and red.

Curanderos practice white or red magic, using plants or the spiritual world to heal. Most feared are the brujos, or brujas if female, who practice black magic.

Curanderos, or shamans, are bound by the law of nature and karma to never do harm. But brujos, the powerful witches, answer to a darker creed.

The devil's cave

"Brujos can put curses on people. They make bad things happen, and from what I've seen, it works," says John Todd, a Houstonian who lives in Veracruz.

"In Mexico, there are three levels of illnesses. The first is spiritual. The second is emotional, such as sadness, and the third is physical. In the United States, people turn to doctors and pills to treat physical illnesses. But they don't treat the emotional and spiritual. Mexicans believe you must treat all three."

Thanks to New Oxford Review.