THE FOLLOWING IS A PERSONAL ACCOUNT FROM SANTA MUERTE DEVOTEE HANK VINE: It was early spring, 2016 - I was homeless, unemployed and drifting around the U.S. I'd just traveled from Minneapolis, Minnesota to the Rio Grande Valley, deep in south Texas where I was crashing on the couch of a friend whom I'd only … Continue reading The Offering of Flesh – A Personal Account of Sacred Tattooing in Santa Muerte’s Devotional Tradition
Loving Godmother, Holy Saint – Santa Muerte devotee Hank Vine on the death of la Madrina Enriqueta Vargas Ortiz, leader of Santa Muerte Internacional
It is difficult for me to make the distinction between Enriqueta Vargas Ortiz the person I adored and the spiritual leader that she was and now the transition to....I don't know, for me at least she is at the right hand of San Padrino Endoque (Jonathan Legaria Vargas.)* I understand what blossoms in a lot … Continue reading Loving Godmother, Holy Saint – Santa Muerte devotee Hank Vine on the death of la Madrina Enriqueta Vargas Ortiz, leader of Santa Muerte Internacional
Santa Muerte and the Culture of Violence
"Main stream media reports which unfairly categorize Santa Muerte as nothing more than a ‘narco-saint’ and criminal spiritual tradition are a good reminder that the current media is not capable of hosting a real dialogue on this topic. While the majority of Santa Muerte’s devotees are not satanic cartel hitmen, the struggle to pull her … Continue reading Santa Muerte and the Culture of Violence
10 Años Enalteciendo a Nuestra Santa Muerte – Reflections on the 2017 anniversary celebration for Santa Muerte Internacional from Hank Vine
Yes, it has been a very good day... The gentleman who rescued me at the airport the last time I visited (see Born in Texas, Complete in Mexico) is the one who I went with today. I got called up to speak and be introduced to the people and I told how Flaca has given … Continue reading 10 Años Enalteciendo a Nuestra Santa Muerte – Reflections on the 2017 anniversary celebration for Santa Muerte Internacional from Hank Vine
2nd Edition of Pioneering Book on Santa Muerte Now Available!
We are excited to announce that the 2nd Edition of Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut's pioneering work, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, is now available from Oxford University Press! The new edition includes a foreword from co-curator of SkeletonSaint.com, David Metcalfe, overviewing some of the profound changes that have occurred during the past 5 years since the … Continue reading 2nd Edition of Pioneering Book on Santa Muerte Now Available!
Born in Texas, Complete in Mexico – The Testimony of Warren Robert ‘Hank’ Vine
The following account is provided by Texas devotee, Warren Robert 'Hank' Vine - it details experiences he had with la Santa Muerte during a recent trip to Ecatepec, Mexico: I will attempt to put into correct articulation the events of today, but I must preface what I am about to say with: My American friends … Continue reading Born in Texas, Complete in Mexico – The Testimony of Warren Robert ‘Hank’ Vine
The Saint of Sin City – Tony Kail Visits Las Vegas’ Santuario de la Santa Muerte
Tony Kail, author of A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo: Rootworkers, Conjuers and Spirituals, shares a fascinating account of a recent visit to the Santuario de la Santa Muerte in Las Vegas, Neveda
Borderland Devotions – Santa Muerte and the margins of faith
While the media in the U.S., Mexico and beyond often focuses on an inflated image of Santa Muerte as a so-called ‘narco-saint,’ her devotees come from a broad spectrum of those who have been born beyond, stepped away from or been pushed outside of the status quo. She stands as a loving matron for those … Continue reading Borderland Devotions – Santa Muerte and the margins of faith
The Universal Mother and a Universal Flag – A Neo-Pagan reflection on Santa Muerte
The following piece was submitted by Gabriel Oakfield, a Neo-Pagan Santa Muerte devotee from the United Kingdom, who provides his personal perspective on Santa Muerte's place in bridging tensions between a Catholic upbringing and his sexual identity. In this reflection Oakfield also allows us to see one way in which Saint Death's decentralized global presence is acting … Continue reading The Universal Mother and a Universal Flag – A Neo-Pagan reflection on Santa Muerte
U.S. Bishops Denounce Santa Muerte
Russell Contreras reporting for AP News provides context for an important new development in the Roman Catholic church's official condemnation of Santa Muerte's devotional tradition. U.S. Bishops have, for the first time, come out with an official statement on their position that Santa Muerte is not considered compatible with Catholic values - coming at a … Continue reading U.S. Bishops Denounce Santa Muerte
Most Holy Death 