Exploring the fastest growing popular faith in the Americas – La Santa Muerte
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
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
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
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
On Wednesday a number of residents of the town of Buenos Aires, located about twenty miles north of the county seat of Cosoleacaque in the Mexican state of Veracruz, detained three suspected witches and handed them over to Veracruz State Police. It was the burning of Santa Muerte candles by the three suspects in the … Continue reading Three Suspects Detained For Doing Santa Muerte Witchcraft on Town Soccer Field
En los ultimos dias Enriqueta Vargas Ortiz del Templo de Tultitlan, Estado de Mexico, ha hecho unas declaraciones importantes sobre su papel de lideresa del cutlo de la Santa Muerte en Mexico. La "Madrina" Vargas dice: A MIS NUEVOS AMIGOS: YO SOY ENRIQUETA VARGAS ORTIZ, MADRE DEL "PANTERA" FUNDADOR DEL TEMPLO DE LA SANTA MUERTE … Continue reading Soy Enriqueta Vargas Ortiz, Madre del Pantera, Fundador del Templo de la Santa Muerte Mas Grande del Mundo
El Templo de la Santa Muerte de Tultitlan is quickly becoming one of the most stable and well developed devotional centers associated with Saint Death. The temple's proprietress, Enriqueta Vargas, recently traveled to New York City to meet with Queens shrine holder Arley Vazquez, marking one of the first cross country meetings of high profile … Continue reading Marriage and la Madrina – Images from a wedding at El Templo de la Santa Muerte de Tultitlán
A grisly triple murder in which the victims were found hacked to death with machetes in a shack with two large Santa Muerte altars has the Mexican press speculating that this another case of human sacrifice to the skeletal folk saint. Many of the details are sketchy at this point, but what is known is … Continue reading Neighbors Allege Triple Murder Victims Were Sacrificed to Santa Muerte
One of Santa Muerte's most important roles is that of protectress. And in a Mexico plagued by so much crime and violence, the demand for supernatural protection is greater than ever. Every day hundreds of thousand of devotees invoke the Powerful Lady's protective powers to shield them from the myriad dangers of the streets of … Continue reading Santa Muerte and Godfather Endoque Saved Me From Armed Robbers
Queridos Hermanos d Fé, Quiero compartirles un Hecho Q m sucedio el dia d Hoy. En el Trayecto d mi casa hacia el medico se subieron Asaltar 4 individuos el Autobus c/ Armas d fuego donde venia su Servidor despojando d sus pertenencias a cada uno d los pasajeros. Al llegar el Asaltante ami lugar … Continue reading El Padrino Jonathan Legaria Vargas, Mi Niña y el Milagro, by Jeronimo Santiago
Most Holy Death 