Book Review: Mexican Magic by Laura Davila — Brujeria as a Living, Breathing Art
This Book Isn’t Just Read — It’s Remembered
Let me start with this: I’ve read Mexican Magic by Laura Davila multiple times. I let it simmer, let it steep, and now that I’ve fully absorbed it, I can tell you without a doubt: Laura has done it again.
This book isn’t simply a guide — it’s a gift. A living, breathing encounter with Mexican Brujeria that burrows straight into the bones. It’s going to live in my practice indefinitely.
Brujeria That Hits Like Ancestral Memory
I didn’t grow up being formally taught Brujeria. But reading Laura’s words cracked something open — an ancestral recall that made so many moments from my past click into place.
It brought me right back to the ranch, to my grandma casually saying she had a little bruja in her. To her herbal concoctions and the understated ways she stitched magic into the fabric of daily life.
That’s what Laura does here: she doesn’t just teach magic, she reminds us of it. Of who we’ve always been. Of how Brujeria isn’t a costume to put on. It’s breath, sweat, earth — it’s survival, necessity, and adaptation. It’s the quiet power of our people.
Honest Magic — No Sugarcoating
One of the sharpest joys of this book is Laura’s voice. She speaks bluntly, without disclaimers or sugarcoating. She doesn’t shy away from the so-called “taboo” parts of Brujeria. There’s no page wasted softening edges to make outsiders comfortable.
Laura gives it to you as it is, as it’s always been — and lets you decide what resonates. That’s true respect for the Craft. Because Witchcraft isn’t about being polite. It’s about faith, courage, necessity, and action.
This line struck me so hard I had to stop reading and just sit with it:
“Necessity is the catalyst. Necessity is what wakes the seeker, the witch, our inner alchemist.”
This book itself is necessity.
A Rich Tapestry of Brujeria
Laura weaves together the histories, stories, and living realities of Brujeria in a way that feels like coming home. She covers:
The deep roots and context of Mexican magic
Brujas de Oficio — the practitioners called to serve
Saints, angels, animas, and the spiritual allies who walk with us
The power of Mexican kitchen witchery, local herbs, spices, and magical ingredients
Animal magic, and our bonds with the creatures of this land
Cultural pressures and practical solutions for reclaiming and living these traditions
There’s no fluff here. No watered-down, one-size-fits-all. This is about Mexican magic as it is truly lived. It’s practical, profound, sometimes painful, always empowering.
Why You Need This Book
If you’re longing to reconnect with your heritage…
If you’re aching to deepen your Craft with practices rooted in necessity, community, and fierce resilience…
If you simply want a breathtakingly honest, incredibly rich guide to Brujeria…
Then Mexican Magic needs to live on your shelf.
Laura Davila has created a treasure trove that doesn’t just teach — it transforms. It validates every witch who felt disconnected, every child who watched quietly from the kitchen doorway, every seeker who carries fragments of memory in their bones.
This book is an invitation to return. To reclaim. To live magic not as spectacle, but as a daily dance with survival and spirit.
