Barelas MainStreet is working to honor the legacy of B. Ruppe’s drugstore, New Mexico’s oldest drugstore and a center for traditional healing. They are raising funds to support and preserve the traditional healing practices of the community through training the next generation of traditional healers, providing wellness services to the community, and opening the store to new local food-based community uses.
This historic icon began at the turn of the century, and evolved from a full-service pharmacy to a location that sold over-the-counter medicine, vitamins, supplements, herbs, and traditional Mexican medicines and supplies. The shop, the oldest continuously operating pharmacy in the state, moved from Old Town to Second Street before finding its current location on Fourth Street in 1965. Tom Sanchez bought into the business in 1949 after earning a pharmacy degree from the University of New Mexico, and in 1981, his sister-in-law renowned Curandera Doña Maclovia Sanchez de Zamora went to work there.
Zamora began working at Ruppe’s, with a small table of herbs. In 1985, she bought a share of the business, and expanded the store’s selection to include treatments for colds, cough, cuts, and inflammation found in herb pouches and custom-made tinctures, teas and salves. Zamora lectured on herbal remedies and taught others her traditional craft. Zamora was, for many decades, the heart and soul of the healing community, transforming B. Ruppe Drugs into a wonderful center of herbal healing. Barelas MainStreet sadly announced the passing of Doña Maclovia Sanchez de Zamora in December 2017.
Though the space closed in September 2017, Barelas MainStreet in partnership with Homewise, is starting a project to revitalize B.Ruppe’s to build on the excitement of other projects along the historic Fourth Street corridor. They are working with the community to garner feedback to ensure a successful community-based project that celebrates the unique history of the space as a healing arts center. Barelas MainStreet hopes to create a new and exciting space for the community to gather and learn about local nonprofits through talks/demonstrations, learn about local food culture, farmers’ markets and value-added products.
See Tribute to a Traditional Healer: video credit Inside the Greenhouse