Ramón Del Castillo, PhD

Posted November 13, 2025

 

We crossed many paths from 1973-2025. I had been blessed to make an acquaintance with a man of knowledge—a gift he used to lead others into multi-dimensional spaces. He was truly un hombre noble—an honorable person, who followed his ancestral roots from his Meso American traditions and passed them on to the next generation.

 

Personally, our roots come from a long lineage of paisanos from Michoacán, México whose destinies were meant to meet in Greeley, Colorado. His mother was from Puruandiro, Michoacán México, my grandmother was from La Piedad, Michoacán, México.

 

We met in 1973, after Teatro de la Revolución performed for a mental health conference at the University of Northern Colorado. I was the director of this troupe, used to enlighten audiences regarding the many issues in the Chicana/o community. Much of our work turned out to be relatable to the many mental health issues in our communities. Issues such as identity and cultural conflict, dysfunctional families, alcohol and drug abuse, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and false machismo were played out in mitos and actos in front of grassroots communities throughout the state.

 

Ernesto has left us. Part of his obituary reads:

 

Ernesto’s life was rich with purpose, curiosity, and connection. Tano Quinquil (Silent Wind) followed his calling to the red road of becoming a healer through reconnecting with his Indigenous roots and offering his knowledge and energy to help others. This included research and connections of ancestral petroglyphs to his Native México and Southwest roots and the world. His love for travel and learning took him around the world to over 30 countries -to China, Australia, México, South América, Europe and across the Southwest. A poet and writer at heart, he was inspired by poets such as Dylan Thomas and other classic writers that inspired his publication of poetry and books. Ernesto volunteered and served our country as a cavalry Sergeant in Korea during the Vietnam War era.

 

He was a Chamanista, an Apache (Apachu) Medicine Man, and a curandero whose work was aimed at dismantling the myth of the “other.”  There were no “others” in Ernesto’s life.  He loved everyone, even those who we called our enemies.

 

His work was aimed at enlightening mental health practitioners regarding the many healing gifts that existed in Chicano/Mexicano cultures. During our first encounter, Mi amigo had already graduated from Denver University with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. He eventually received a Ph.D. in child psychology from the University of Northern Colorado. Yours truly was working on an undergraduate degree with two majors in Sociology and the other in Mexican American Studies at the time.

 

He was astonished at the production we had just finished, throwing stones at the counseling department at the university that lacked Chicana/o personnel and cultural competency in addressing the many needs of Chicana/o students. He approached me and introduced himself.  This introduction resulted in an invitation for Teatro de la Revolución to present at the Colorado Higher Education statewide conference on counseling and mental health that following year. This introduction also resulted in a lifelong friendship and mentorship where Dr. Alvarado took me under the eagle’s wing and mentored me.

 

One of the domains where Dr. Alvarado made a formidable contribution was in Chicana/o mental health. He was a curandero, and a student of Diana Velazquez, a renowned curandera. Ernesto was blessed with “el don” (gift), eventually becoming a pioneer in a field of medicine that few truly understood. He created a road to knowledge—a pathway for others lost in worlds of doubt to saunter onto—knocking down picket fences and imaginary barriers. His belief was that obstacles existed only in one’s mind manufactured by a plastic society and invisible barriers where psychiatric diagnostics were used to hide ignorance.

 

Dr. Alvarado was instrumental in building El Centro de las Familias, a specialty clinic under the auspices of Southwest Denver Mental Health.  This was during a time when community mental health was viewed with suspicion. This innovation had been introduced into the field of psychiatry and was under surveillance by mainstream mental health practitioners who practiced psychiatry under the “one size fits all model.” Culture was not included in the treatment philosophies at that time. Curanderismo, unbeknownst to the field of mental health at the time, was viewed with equally suspicious eyes by the mental health practitioners of the time. Dr. Alvarado had introduced Diana Velazquez, a curandera from San Antonio, Texas into the field. This caused further consternation from the mainstream practitioners; but it did not stop Dr. Alvarado’s innovation.

 

His love for mother nature and all of her knowledge transcended information transmitted in colleges and universities where sophisticated nomenclature created by master illusionists and magicians ruled.

 

His travels through the human world resulted in journeys into other dimensions. His poetic gesticulations were two-way mirrors; one that was unidimensional and the other a trifecta of confusion.

 

He has now left to travel into other dimensions. He leaves us with a message to love each other, treat each other with respect, and work towards unity in our communities. A community celebration with danzantes and mariachis has been planned. I have been asked to recite the following poetic despedida accompanied by community activist, musician, and flautist Jon Romero on Saturday, November 14^th in Ft. Lupton, 203 S. Harrison Ave.

 

 

Ernesto, Chamanista del Pueblo

 

Ernesto, El Chamanista del Pueblo

con raices

de la tierra sagrada

Puruándiro, Michoacan, Mexico

surrounded by eons

of wisdom

community awaits

your arrival

while you

meditate solemnly,

to avoid an abyss

of environmental catastrophe.

It’s time to hear our voices

in contemplation

to reclaim

forgotten wisdom

drawn

from sacred

codices

during ceremonial rites,

as we sit

in un circulo

de la vida

surrounded by

a circle of death

paradoxically designed

to honor your life

with the ghosts

of nuestros antepasados

suspended

in another dimension,

join us in prayer

as members of your tribe.

It’s time to share

your enigmatic energy

hovering over healing ceremonies

igniting wounded souls

injured in

spiritual warfare,

praying

for those in healing circles

to unlock doors

unafraid to experience

the unknown.

 

Ernesto, un Apachu (Apache)

medicine man

walking on the red road

floating with the wind

el Tano quinquil

healing the many pangs

of Raza

grieving over a lost nation

lost in desperation

seeking out justicia

in an unjust world

throwing spears

against reflections

of broken mirrors

challenged to dig

deep inside

and see the world

for what it really is

without getting lost

in its materialism.

 

A curandero, Ernesto

a native Gavilan Apache

contemplated

many aspects of life

plants, animals, birds

and human beings,

offering

conocimiento

to others

alienated by the times

bringing osha, yerba mansa,

and Echinacea

to healing circles

traveling into

other dimensions

where pain

hidden in the crevices

of hearts

were found

and healed.

 

El Chamanista traveled

in spiritual dimensions

encountering

waves of animosity

engaging in combat

with spiritual demons

seeking out

wounded almas

jagged scars

hidden in furtive

sections of the mind

spiritual encounters

stumbling upon evil

seeking amelioration

surrounded by

flakes of snow

unwilling to melt

from the heat

of oppression.

The energy of his militancy

shaped shifted

tormented souls

into armored warriors

taking them on vision quests

as they sought

transcendent guidance;

sitting in sweat lodges

cleansing the mal puesto

a force penetrating

fertile territory

until divine winds

blow fine dust

into oblivion.

 

Today we honor

his journey

into yet another dimension

where he invites us

to join him

in mysticism and spirituality

with his Creator.

 

¡Hasta luego, mi amigo!

 

Dr. Ramón Del Castillo is an Independent Journalist. © Ramón Del Castillo 11-6-2025.