Santa Muerte
Santa Muerte, or Saint Death, is a folk deity venerated primarily in Mexico and Central America. Her origins trace back to the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl, who ruled the underworld and was depicted as a skeletal figure. Following the arrival of Spanish colonizers and Roman Catholicism, many indigenous practices, including those honoring Mictecacihuatl, were forced underground yet persisted in a syncretic form. In the twenty-first century, Santa Muerte has gained significant popularity among marginalized groups, including drug traffickers, the poor, and the sick, reflecting her perceived ability to provide protection and favors.
Worship of Santa Muerte includes the establishment of public shrines and temples, particularly in lower-income areas, where ceremonies often resemble Catholic masses but incorporate unique iconography related to death. Followers may offer items like flowers and cigarettes in their rituals. Although some consider her a part of their Catholic faith, the Catholic Church has condemned her worship as heretical. Despite this opposition, the devotion to Santa Muerte continues to grow, with her figure becoming an integral part of cultural celebrations, such as the Day of the Dead. While most adherents do not associate their faith with criminal acts, extreme cases of ritual sacrifices have been reported, though they represent a small fraction of her worshippers. Santa Muerte remains a complex figure, embodying themes of mortality and hope across diverse social strata.
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Subject Terms
Santa Muerte
Symbol: skeleton, scythe
Country: Mexico, United States, and Central America
Overview
Santa Muerte, commonly known as Saint Death, Holy Death, or the Lady of the Dead, is a Mexican folk deity with a growing following throughout Mexico and Central America. Santa Muerte’s origins can be traced to the ancient Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl, who ruled over the underworld with her husband. Mictecacihuatl was commonly portrayed as a female skeletal figure. When the Spanish brought Roman Catholicism to Central and South America, they did their best to stamp out worship of the native Aztec gods. However, many of the native peoples secretly kept their beliefs alive, eventually blending some of their practices with European beliefs.
In the twenty-first century, worship of Santa Muerte became particularly popular among members of Mexico’s notorious drug cartels. From there, her worship spread to many societal outcasts, such as the poor, the sick, and the disabled. As more people came to worship Santa Muerte, shrines became public and people began to openly proclaim her worship. Some worshipped Santa Muerte exclusively, while others worshiped her in addition to Catholic religious figures. While the Catholic Church has condemned the worship of Santa Muerte, its opposition has not stopped her growing popularity.
In Mythology
The Aztecs dominated the region of modern-day central Mexico before the area was colonized by the Spanish in the sixteenth century. The Aztecs worshipped a deity called Mictecacihuatl, or the “Lady of the Dead.” Mictecacihuatl ruled over Mictlan, the lowest level of the underworld and the place where the dead were located. She was commonly depicted as a female skeleton or as a woman with a skull for a head. In the Aztec religion, Mictecacihuatl presided over festivals that honored or celebrated the dead.
When Spanish explorers brought Roman Catholicism to Central America, many native peoples converted to the new religion, but continued to worship their traditional gods as well. As a result, the religious practices of Central America’s indigenous peoples were kept alive throughout the centuries. Spain’s Catholic leaders wanted to eliminate any worship of these so-called pagan deities and often destroyed shrines related to the Lady of the Dead. Experts believe that worship of Mictecacihuatl survived underground, away from the eyes of the church. In many cases, belief in indigenous deities became blended with Catholic and Christian beliefs.
Because people did no openly practice their indigenous beliefs, worship of the Lady of the Dead mostly disappeared from the public records. However, some texts reference worship of the deity in the 1940s and the 1980s. The Lady of the Dead took on aspects of Catholic belief and her name became Santa Muerte, or Saint of the Dead. Her worship remerged among the public in the twenty-first century.
Origins & Cults
Modern worship of Santa Muerte began to gain prominence among Mexico’s criminal elements and societal outcasts. Her worship was commonly referred to as a cult that was most popular with drug traffickers, prostitutes, the homeless, poor, and disabled. It was believed that Santa Muerte favored these populations and had the ability to grant them money or power if provided with appropriate offerings.
In the first two decades of the twenty-first century, the following of Santa Muerte grew in popularity among the general public. She became a major part of Mexico’s traditional Day of the Dead celebrations. Many worshipers of Santa Muerte dedicated the entire day to her, parading lavishly dressed skeletons through the streets and praying for miracles from the deity. Some of the figures of Santa Muerte carry a scythe, an element commonly associated with the image of the grim reaper.
As Santa Muerte transitioned from a folk saint to a religious figure, people began establishing public temples to the deity. These temples are often located in slums or poorer areas of town and cater to the populations with which the saint of death is most popular. The ceremonies at the temples often follow the form of a traditional Catholic mass. However, much of the iconography has been replaced by skeletons in silk robes and images of death. Participants at the mass say prayers to Santa Muerte and sometimes make offerings of cigarettes, flowers, and other valuable items.
Some followers of Santa Muerte worship the Lady of Death as a part of their Catholic faith. They treat the deity as an ordained saint who is merely following the will of God. According to these followers, Santa Muerte comes to Earth to collect the souls of the dead as part of the natural order of God’s plan.
The Catholic Church has condemned these beliefs, asserting that the Lady of Death is not a canonized saint. The church has advised Catholics that worship of Santa Muerte is heretical and that the deity is satanic in nature. Despite the church’s stance, worship of Santa Muerte has continued to grow more popular throughout Mexico and among Mexicans in the United States and Central America.
While most followers of Santa Muerte do not commit crimes as part of their worship of the deity, some worshippers believe that the Lady of Death grants miraculous favors to those who make living sacrifices. In 2012, eight people were arrested by Mexican authorities for the killings of two boys and a woman as part of a ritual to Santa Muerte. Other cases of human sacrifice or attempted human sacrifice have also been documented. Those who adhere to such extreme beliefs feel that carrying out these rituals will result in power, wealth, or special favors from Santa Muerte. However, individuals engaging in these types of sacrifices are considered a fringe element and such behavior is not common.
Bibliography
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“History of Mexico.” History.com, 21 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/topics/mexico/history-of-mexico. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.
“Mexicans Worship Cult of Saint Death,” Reuters, 7 June, 2016, www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-ritual-santamuerte/mexicans-worship-cult-of-saint-death-idUSKCN0YT2GZ. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.
“Mexico Arrests Over La Santa Muerte Cult Killings,” BBC, 31 Mar. 2012, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-17570199. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.
“Mictecacihuatl: the Goddess of Death in Aztec Religious Mythology,” ThoughtCo., 25 Jan. 2018, www.thoughtco.com/mictecacihuatl-aztec-goddess-of-death-248587. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.
Rezac, Mary. “Have You Heard of Saint Death? Don’t Pray to Her,” Catholic News Agency, 4 Nov. 2017, www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/have-you-heard-of-saint-death-dont-pray-to-her-38884. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.
Tucker, Duncan. “Santa Muerte: The Rise of Mexico’s Death ‘Saint,’” BBC, 1 Nov. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-41804243. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.
“Vatican in a Bind About Santa Muerte,” National Geographic, 14 May, 2013, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130512-vatican-santa-muerte-mexico-cult-catholic-church-cultures-world/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2019.