As the sole female folk saint of death in the Americas, Santa Muerte has a special appeal to women, especially disprivileged Mexican mothers . In the piece below anthropologist Dr. Kate Kingsbury* considers the contours of devotion among rural women in coastal Oaxaca. -Rural Oaxaca, the outskirts of Pochutla, Mexico When we got home one … Continue reading Mighty Mexican Mothers: Santa Muerte as Female Empowerment in Oaxaca
Mexican Indigenous Death Goddesses Xaratanga and Mictecacihuatl Reimagined as Santa Muerte in Michoacan – Photoset
La Casa de la Santa Muerte in the tiny Michoacan town of Santa Ana Chapitiro, just a 15-minute drive from Day of the Dead Mecca, Patzcuaro, is one of the most elaborate shrines to the Skeleton Saint in Mexico. Since I have family in Michoacan, the colorful temple was one of my first research sites … Continue reading Mexican Indigenous Death Goddesses Xaratanga and Mictecacihuatl Reimagined as Santa Muerte in Michoacan – Photoset
Top Santa Muerte Leader Enriqueta Vargas is in the Bony Lady’s Embrace
La Madrina Enriqueta Vargas Ortiz (b. 1959 - d. 2018), the charismatic leader of Santa Muerte Internacional, has died after a prolonged battle with cancer. The SMI temple in Tultitlan will hold a viewing on December 19th at noon, beneath the feet of the largest statue of Santa Muerte in the world. On December … Continue reading Top Santa Muerte Leader Enriqueta Vargas is in the Bony Lady’s Embrace
A Gringa in Tepito – American Devotee Documents the 17th Anniversary of Famous Santa Muerte Shrine
Text and photos by Heather Buckley* The taxi pulled up to a blocked off street in Tepito. Today was October 31, Halloween, and I was drawn to see Her. This was my second full day in Mexico City. I do not speak the language—I went by myself. I might have looked out-of-place dressed as I … Continue reading A Gringa in Tepito – American Devotee Documents the 17th Anniversary of Famous Santa Muerte Shrine
Healed by Death – Santa Muerte as Curandera
Text and photo by guest contributor Stephen Patrick Guagliardo* I’ve wanted to write this for a while. Before I actually begin, this is going to be specifically about my own personal devotion to Santa Muerte, not me teaching about her or anything like that. So, if you find yourself wanting to learn more about … Continue reading Healed by Death – Santa Muerte as Curandera
Santa Muerte Calls Me Home
By Aliza Einhorn* I will crawl on my hands and knees back to New York City and out of this fetid Florida swamp if I have to, up three flights of stairs to that 105-year old Staten Island walk-up where she lunged at me for the first time from the blue light of my MacBook … Continue reading Santa Muerte Calls Me Home
Santa Muerte, My Mother, and Me
By Aliza Einhorn* 1 I’m an astrologer. I started blogging in 2011 as a way to attract clients. Blogs were business cards back then. Less so today. And I named my site Moon Pluto Astrology because in my natal chart (that thing astrologers analyze to figure you out), I have my Moon and my Pluto … Continue reading Santa Muerte, My Mother, and Me
British Anthropologist Discovers Santa Muerte in Bone-Chilling Toronto
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
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
Most Holy Death 