Teresa Urrea facts for kids

Teresa Urrea, often called Teresita or La Santa de Cábora (which means "The Saint of Cabora"), was a special Mexican woman. She was born on October 15, 1873, and passed away on January 11, 1906. People saw her as a mystic, a folk healer, and someone who inspired people to fight for change.

Early Life of Teresa Urrea

Teresa Urrea was born in 1873 in a place called Ocoroni, in Sinaloa, Mexico. Her father, Tomás Urrea, owned a ranch in Cábora. Her mother, Cayetana Chávez, was a young Indigenous woman from Tehueco. Teresa spent her early years in Cábora and nearby Aquihuiquichi. Her aunt and mother mostly raised her.

Becoming a Folk Healer

In 1889, Teresa became very sick. During this time, she started having religious visions. When she got better, she believed that the Virgin Mary had given her special healing powers. Soon, many people came to see her. About 1200 people camped nearby, hoping to be healed or to see miracles.

Indigenous people, especially the Mayo, began to call her "The Saint of Cabora." She also spoke out against some church officials, which made them unhappy. However, many reports said she was always kind to the sick, especially the poor. She would patiently help people, even touching serious sores. She even slept near people with infectious diseases. Mexican newspapers, like El Monitor Republicano, started writing about her in December 1889.

Teresa once predicted a big flood that would destroy everything except a few special places. One of these places was Jambiobampo, Sonora. This was where Damian Quijano, a Mayo man inspired by Teresa, preached. His father had been a general who fought against the Mexican government.

Inspiring People and Exile

Teresa was seen as a folk saint by the Yaqui and Mayo groups. These Indigenous peoples live in the Sonoran Desert near the United States border. A drought and other problems led the village of Tomochic, Chihuahua to seek her advice. This led to a fight between the villagers and the government on December 7, 1891. Another revolt happened on December 26, where villagers defeated forty soldiers. Teresa left the area to avoid being blamed for these events.

However, the government still held her responsible. In May 1892, Teresa and her father were forced to leave Mexico. They moved to Nogales, Arizona, in the United States. But the people of Tomochic continued to fight the government in her name. In response, government troops destroyed Tomochic in October 1892. About 300 villagers died in the fighting that year. Some people today believe Teresa's influence made the Tomochitecos fight so bravely against the government.

Leaving Mexico

Even though fighters used Teresa's nickname, "Santa de Cabora," and asked for her help, there is no clear proof she was directly involved in their actions. Her popularity among those who wanted change seemed to come from her simple talks about fairness, justice, and kindness. Some sources say she also encouraged people to fight for their land. The Mexican army, led by General Abraham Bandala, was sent to make her leave.

Teresa and her father left without trouble. But General Bandala reported that there was a risk of uprisings among the Mayo people because of Teresa's influence. Indigenous Mayos did use her name when they attacked the city of Navojoa in Sonora. They did this because their lands had been taken.

When Teresa arrived in Nogales, she was welcomed like a hero. A crowd greeted her at the train station. Local police even walked her to a hotel. Teresa and her father soon applied to become United States citizens. However, there is no record that they were granted citizenship. Teresa spent the next three years living near Nogales, where she continued her folk healing.

Border Uprisings and Her Influence

By November 1895, Teresa had moved to Solomonville, Arizona. Here, Lauro Aguirre and Flores Chapa had started a newspaper called El Independiente. This newspaper criticized the government of Porfirio Díaz. Aguirre and Chapa were against the Díaz government taking land from Indigenous people and stopping people from speaking out.

In February 1896, Aguirre and Chapa published a plan called Plan Restaurador de Constitucion y Reformista. This plan mentioned the Tomochic rebellion. It also said the Mexican government had broken its own constitution. The plan called for the government to be overthrown by force. Twenty-three people signed this plan, and some were close to Teresa Urrea. People thought she might have been involved behind the scenes. Later, the United States government put Aguirre and Chapa on trial but found them not guilty. Teresa Urrea's possible involvement was discussed during the trial.

After the trial, Teresa Urrea moved to El Paso, Texas. There, Aguirre continued to publish newspapers. The newspapers in El Paso described her as a "spiritual healer who was not involved in politics." This changed when revolts against the Díaz government started along the border in August 1896. On August 12, about seventy Indigenous Yaquis, Pimas, and other Mexicans attacked the customs house in Nogales, Arizona. They did this in the name of "La Santa de Cabora." Three people died in this uprising. Both Mexican and American newspapers covered it. They suggested the rebellion was inspired by Aguirre's newspaper and photos of Teresa Urrea. It was said that the fighters carried her photograph over their hearts, believing it would protect them.

Reports differ on how much Teresa Urrea was involved in the Nogales revolt and other uprisings. Aguirre's newspaper showed her as someone who supported violent change. It published complaints against the Mexican government and church with her name on them. However, the El Paso Herald published a statement from her. In it, she said she was not involved in the uprisings. She also said she was upset that her name was being used for revolutionary purposes. It is not clear if this statement was her true feeling or an attempt to avoid trouble. The New York Times said that 1000 deaths in the border uprisings were due to her influence. Records from that time connect her to revolutionary actions. El Paso newspapers reported in January 1897 that the Mexican government tried to harm her. Soon after, she moved back to Arizona.

Later Years

Teresa Urrea got married in 1900. However, the wedding day was strange, and her husband, Lupe Rodríguez, acted suspiciously. He was a Yaqui miner who tried to force her onto a train going to Mexico. Local newspapers said he seemed mentally unwell. The couple separated less than a day after the wedding.

Soon after, Teresa went to California to help a boy with meningitis. She then signed a contract to go on a public tour as a healer. She had many people come to see her, but there were some problems with language and the contract. Teresa gave a lot of her earnings to the poor. She had a daughter in 1902. They settled in Los Angeles. There, she openly supported Mexican workers who formed unions and went on strike to get equal pay. In 1904, she moved to Ventura County, California. She had a second child and bought a house. Teresa Urrea passed away from tuberculosis in 1906.

She was buried in Clifton, Arizona.

See also

In Spanish: Teresa Urrea para niños