- via Huffington Post
NEW YORK — Deirdre Bentancourt, currently unemployed, escorted her daughter through the aisles of a Bronx botanica that bills itself as the largest on the East Coast, a spiritual superstore of herbs, candles, oils, perfumes, baths, incense, animal skulls and amulets.
The mother consulted a dog-eared book on the spirit world as she handed several colored candles from the shelves of the Original Products Botanica to daughter Brittany Alfarone, a 22-year-old college student.
“I don’t push anything on her,” Bentancourt insisted.
From New York to Los Angeles, from Chicago to Miami, shops specializing in the rituals of Afro-Caribbean and Meso-American spiritual beliefs offer a glimpse into how some of this country’s latest arrivals pursue their dreams.
In today’s tough economic times, the ubiquitous botanica has become a testament to the perseverance of those dreams.
Read more at Huffington Post.
About Being Latino Contributors