Since going public in 2001 devotion to Santa Muerte has spread rapidly beyond Mexico to the four corners of the globe. In the piece below anthropologist Dr. Kate Kingsbury* reveals the robust presence of the Bony Lady in Toronto, Canada’s largest city. In the middle of bustling Toronto, Kensington Market offers respite from the … Continue reading British Anthropologist Discovers Santa Muerte in Bone-Chilling Toronto
Move Over Mictecacihuatl: Santa Muerte as Purepecha Goddess Xaratanga
La Casa de la Santa Muerte in the tiny town of Santa Ana Chapitiro, just a 15-minute drive from Day of the Dead Mecca, Patzcuaro, is one of the most unique shrines to the Bony Lady in Mexico. I first visited it in the summer of 2009 when I was just starting my decade-long research … Continue reading Move Over Mictecacihuatl: Santa Muerte as Purepecha Goddess Xaratanga
Game Over: “Madrina” Enriqueta Vargas Oficia el Primer Velorio Estilo Santa Muerte
Los bautismos y las bodas realizados por lideres del culto a la Santa Muerte son cada vez mas comun en Mexico y en los Estados Unidos. Por ejemplo, Enriqueta Vargas, lideresa del Templo Santa Muerte Internacional ya los oficia semanalmente en Tultitlan, en las afueras de la Ciudad de Mexico. Siempre me parecia curioso que … Continue reading Game Over: “Madrina” Enriqueta Vargas Oficia el Primer Velorio Estilo Santa Muerte
Photoset of the 14th Anniversary of Santa Muerte in Tepito
Santa Muerte devotees flocked to Tepito, Mexico City's most notorious barrio, on Halloween night, 2015, to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the founding of the first public shrine by former quesadilla vendor, Enriqueta Romero. On October 31, 2001, Romero made history by setting her life-size effigy of the skeleton saint outside on the sidewalk in … Continue reading Photoset of the 14th Anniversary of Santa Muerte in Tepito
Las Dos Mayores Líderes de La Santa Muerte en México Finalmente Se Conocen
Las dos Enriquetas finalmente se reunieron hace dos semanas en Tepito, el famoso barrio de la Ciudad de México. Para aquellos que no han estado siguiendo el desarrollo del mayor del nuevo movimiento religioso de mayor crescimiento en las Américas, las Enriquetas son las dos principales líderes de la Santa Muerte en México. Enriqueta Romero, … Continue reading Las Dos Mayores Líderes de La Santa Muerte en México Finalmente Se Conocen
Madrina de la Santa Muerte: Entrevista con Lideresa del Culto en Mexico, Enriqueta Vargas
La jefa del Templo Santa Muerte Internacional con sede en Tultitlan, Enriqueta Vargas se ha convertido en la liderasa mas dinamica del culto a la Santa Muerte en Mexico. Convertida a la fe depues del asesinato de su hijo Jonathan Legaria Vargas en 2008, quien fundo el templo en Tultitlan, la "Madrina" Vargas ha transformado el … Continue reading Madrina de la Santa Muerte: Entrevista con Lideresa del Culto en Mexico, Enriqueta Vargas
King Death: Santa Muerte in the Philippines
As a specialist in Latin American religion I suspected that sooner or later my research would take me to the Philippines, which was also colonized by Spain. However, I thought it would be the burgeoning Catholic Charismatic Renewal that would lead me there since I had done research on the dynamic movement in Latin America. … Continue reading King Death: Santa Muerte in the Philippines
Santa Muerte and Human Sacrifice in Mexico and Guatemala
Since Santa Muerte went public in 2001 there have been numerous cases of alleged human sacrifice to the skeleton saint. The great majority follow the pattern of the two latest cases, one in Chihuahua, Mexico, and the other in Guatemala City. In the Mexican case involving the shocking murder of a 6 year-old boy by … Continue reading Santa Muerte and Human Sacrifice in Mexico and Guatemala
Noisy Santa Muerte Statue Destroyed by Texas Bomb Squad
Santa Muerte is at it again in the small Texas border-town of San Benito. Two nights ago drivers on a rural road came across a white Santa Muerte statue planted in the middle of the road, on top of the yellow dividing line. At least one passerby believed they heard noises being emitted from the … Continue reading Noisy Santa Muerte Statue Destroyed by Texas Bomb Squad
Santa Muerte News: Human Hands and New Documentary
While Santa Muerte has become a permanent newsmaker, she received an extraordinary amount of coverage over the past couple weeks. The biggest story, by far, was one that Italian journalist Ludavico Laccino and I teamed up for on a series of Mexican cartel hitwomen who had adopted the nom de guerre of "Flaca" (often spelled … Continue reading Santa Muerte News: Human Hands and New Documentary
