Exploring the fastest growing popular faith in the Americas – La Santa Muerte
Mother’s Day is upon us, I have always had respect for la Virgen de Guadalupe, she like Santa Muerte carries sorrow, peace and love. But I connect with Santa Muerte because I have sat among death. I have watched Santa Muerte come and whisk someone away.
In this interview with a Mexican devotee of Santa Muerte who lives in Mexico City, he tells us about the Goddess of Death that protects him and his tattoos in honour of her.
Santa Muerte came into my life when I needed to remove a curse. The thing with curses is till the time you don't hear it from the horse's mouth or someone betrays them and tells us, their nature is either revealed through divination or intuition.
According to the Roman Catholic Church, Santa Muerte and the Catholic faith are two distinct beliefs and practices, or one follows the Mexican folk saint of death, or one follows the church. The pope, bishops and priests have stated this already frequently for years now.
In late December 2020 I had the opportunity to visit the most elaborate Santa Muerte temple in the central Mexican state of Queretaro. There is an impressive array of images, many handcrafted. In contrast to the temple in Santa Ana Chapitiro, Michoacan, this one has a more masculine vibe. In fact during my visit I … Continue reading Photo-shoot of Santuario de la Santa Muerte in Queretaro, Mexico
The Tangibility of Devotion to Saint Death Photo Essay by Professor R. Andrew Chesnut and Doctor Kate Kingsbury, All photos and text copyrighted. Do not use without permission of authors. Despite the Church's insistence that Santa Muerte is satanic and that her devotees are heretics most Mexican Santa Muerte devotees consider themselves Catholic. They see … Continue reading The Materiality of Mother Muerte in Michoacan
By Anthropologist, Dr. Kate Kingsbury, D.Phil Oxford University. Yuri Mendez is a self-identified witch (bruja) and shaman (curandera) who ten years ago following a dream of Santa Muerte established the largest shrine dedicated to death in Cancun. She describes herself as `bruja de las tres virtudes` or `witch of the three virtues` and works with … Continue reading At Death`s Door in Cancun: Meeting Santa Muerte Witch Yuri Mendez
When I began my research on Santa Muerte in 2009 it didn't occur to me at first to look for devotees in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia. The Latinx population is less than 10% and most are Central American immigrants, not Mexicans. After finding the Skeleton Saint easily in nearby Washington, DC, I decided to … Continue reading Santa Muerte – The Mother Who Heals
In a bizarre turn of events, sometime in the 1950s, a town priest stormed into the Cruz home and abducted the skeletal effigy. Alleging that devotees prayed to the statue for evil purposes, such as murder, the cleric...
As an adjunct professor of anthropology Dr. Kate Kingsbury is not eligible for most research funding that is available to permanent and tenured professors so she has launched a Go Fund Me campaign to raise funds from individual contributors. Many readers of Skeleton Saint are already familiar with her incisive work that focuses on the … Continue reading Emerging Scholar Seeks Funding Support for Cutting-Edge Research on Santa Muerte as Agent of Female Empowerment
