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
Top Vatican Official Rebukes Santa Muerte – Again
Italian cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, has reiterated his denunciation of Santa Muerte issued in Mexico City four years ago. Speaking yesterday at Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria he said, "These depravaties, blasphemies, and idolatries have become a real and perverse cult among Mexican narcos with the veneration of Santa Muerte, … Continue reading Top Vatican Official Rebukes Santa Muerte – Again
Santa Muerte as Religious Resistance – Reflections of a Devotee
The following post from the Devoted to Death Facebook group provides a powerful perspective on current events from a U.S. devotee of Santa Muerte. In this piece Robin Artisson reflects on some of the extreme political changes occurring and what place Saint Death may have in helping to focus these issues for those pushed to … Continue reading Santa Muerte as Religious Resistance – Reflections of a Devotee
House of Holy Death – The Santa Muerte Shrine of Michoacan
The Santa Muerte shrine in the tiny Michoacan town of Santa Ana Chapitiro is one of the most impressive in Mexico and a testament to the dynamism of the fastest growing new religious movement in the Americas. Built by a recently deceased devotee from Mexico City, it contains hundreds of exquisite handcrafted images of the … Continue reading House of Holy Death – The Santa Muerte Shrine of Michoacan
¿Es Santa Muerte – el Nuevo Movimiento Religioso de más rápido crecimiento en las Américas – Institucionalizando?
Tanto las fotos como la traduccion del ingles fueron realizadas por la Dra. Fabiola Chesnut, Jefa del Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras y Bellas Artes de la Escuela Secundaria Huguenot, Richmond, Virginia, y nativa de Morelia, Michoacán. Texto por el Dr. Andrew Chesnut. El día 28/12/16 asistí a la celebración del 9º aniversario de la fundación … Continue reading ¿Es Santa Muerte – el Nuevo Movimiento Religioso de más rápido crecimiento en las Américas – Institucionalizando?
Is the Fastest Growing New Religious Movement in the Americas – Santa Muerte – Institutionalizing?
All photos were taken by Fabiola Chesnut, Chair of Foreign Languages and Fine Arts at Huguenot High School, Richmond, Virginia, and native of Morelia, Michoacan. On 12/28/16 I attended the 9th anniversary celebration of the founding of Templo Santa Muerte Internacional in the gritty Mexico City suburb of Tultitlan.Founded by Jonathan Legaria Vargas, aka Comandante … Continue reading Is the Fastest Growing New Religious Movement in the Americas – Santa Muerte – Institutionalizing?
“La Flaca” A New Film on Santa Muerte in NYC
Co-directors Thiago Zananto and Adriana Barbosa have released the trailer for their forthcoming film, "La Flaca," which features NYC Santa Muerte pioneer, Arely Vazquez. Filmed on location in Queens, "La Flaca" (or Skinny Lady, one of the skeleton saint's main monikers) focuses on the 9th anniversary fiesta of Arely's devotion to Saint Death. Top Mexican … Continue reading “La Flaca” A New Film on Santa Muerte in NYC
Come to me, or else! Santa Muerte, the Love Sorceress, An Illustrated Lecture with Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut
On Monday, May 30th, at 7pm join Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut at the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn, New York where he will be exploring the Bony Lady's fascinating role as Love Sorceress! While Santa Muerte, the Mexican saint of death, usually appears as a fierce narco-saint in mass media, TV and film, her oldest … Continue reading Come to me, or else! Santa Muerte, the Love Sorceress, An Illustrated Lecture with Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut
Stash House Goddess: Media Portrayals of Santa Muerte
Certain media outlets, such as Breitbart continue the trend of inaccurate and fear mongering reporting on Santa Muerte (see: 37 Illegal Aliens Found in 'Goddess of Death' Shrine House). As Dr. Andrew Chesnut points out in his Twitter post of this link, neither devotees nor scholars refer to Santa Muerte as a "goddess of death." This report … Continue reading Stash House Goddess: Media Portrayals of Santa Muerte
3 Years with the Empress of the Americas
April 29th, 2016 marked the 3 year anniversary of SkeletonSaint.com. It's been a wild and wonderful journey encountering and engaging the enigmatic Nina Bonita from jail cells in Madison County, Georgia to private shrines in the Philippines - the Americas’ fastest growing new spirituality continues to spread around the world and we’ve been at the … Continue reading 3 Years with the Empress of the Americas
