Santa Muerte: The Folk Saint of Death

[vincentkarlschwahn]

As a priest living in Mexico, this is excellent and well done. I love your series!

[augustuslunasolthapostle]

Labeling so many folk saints as cartel saints is like labeling jesus as the italian mob god because most of them believe in him

[eduardof]

As a Mexican myself, I have to add from my personal experience, that the Santa Muerte in Mexico is usually considered a taboo for those that do not worship her. It is something people try to avoid talking about, and in my family for example as Catholics we were told that venerating her was against God and all our values as Christians, and that is is similar to witchcraft and black magic, in the sense that it is something that people resort to when they are asking for something which God cannot help you with...most frequently bad things like harming others. It is usually associated with people living in very marginalized environments, in dangerous neighborhoods or slums surrounded by crime, violence, poverty and really tough conditions for living. Outside those places, there are few people who worship her, and almost all of them do it in secret, and it can be a scandal when there are rumors of someone from a "Good family" praying to Santa Muerte. We really almost never talk about her, and we tend to pretend it doesn´t exist, and live our lives without thinking much about it, and for that reason, it usually gets us by surprise when someone talks about her or we see an image of her... Must people will interpret this as a sign that they are dealing with a dangerous place or a dangerous person. If for example you are in a taxi and the driver has an image of her, you may feel uncomfortable, or if you get lost and end up finding a street chapel of the Santa Muerte, you may want to get out of there immediately. I personally don´t see any problem with people who pray to her, but it is what it is.

[grantsmythe]

I've known many folks from Southern Mexico and Guatemala and those people are serious about their folk religion. They are real devotees. These local, folk "saints" have been part of indigenous religion for many centuries in one form or another.

[gkky-xxmc]

Your emphasis on Santa Muerte being a folk saint worshipped by all strata of society reminded me a lot of similar Chinese folk heroes venerated in traditional folk religion. Unlike Daoism and Buddhism, which are more systemized religions, and Confucianism, a philosophy, folk religions in China are similar to the decentralized beliefs you describe in this video. In particular, one figure named Guan Yu, is worshipped by all kinds of groups in society, most notably by gangs and triads as well as the police force. You can see statues of him everywhere in cities with a lot of criminal activity such as Hong Kong or Chongqing, but also in business offices, street vendor stalls, and family shrines. A video covering the different aspects of Chinese folk religion would be fascinating.

[julianaguirre]

Great video ! In Argentina we have our own version known as San La Muerte and it too has bad press and a simplified bad image (something shared with African inspired religions like Umbanda and Santeria), usually associated with marginalized lifestyles, criminality and prison.

For anyone interested, all Latinoamerica is really rich in religious syncretism and folk religiosity. From Venezuela's Cortes (pantheons of historical and mythical figures, each one with its own dominion) to Argentina's Gauchito Gil (a Robin Hood-like figure who after been caught and executed became one of the most well-known and venerated popular saints)

[TheForeignersNetwork]

La Santa Muerte has a HUGE following here in Chicago. She is everywhere. I also spent time in Argentina and their folk saints are fascinating as well--For example, they have San La Muerte (a male deity that's different from the female Mexican Santa Muerte) and Gauchito Gil (who was a devotee of San La Muerte). They're both extremely popular, particularly in the interior of the country where a higher percentage of the population has indigenous roots.

[henriquegomes]

Please do a vide about Afro-Brazilian religions (candomblé and umbanda), they have much in common with Santa Muerte veneration

[hugodesrosiers-plaisance]

Your videos are always done with only highest respect for your subject. It's quite admirable, I think it deserves mention.

[natbvm]

I’ve been to her main shrine in Mexico City a couple times. It is in a spooky part of town. Birds inside chirp and make noise. Devotees bow down at an altar and pray, lighting cigarettes and bringing her soda pop as offerings. They ring a bell when they are done. A lady will prepare you an figurine with birdseed, soda, perfume and cover it with cigar smoke for a small fee.

[ciervo]

As a Catholic-raised Mexican I was usually taught to believe Santa Muerte was only adored by criminals or bad lower class people (extreme prejudices) or had an inherent evil that didn’t really deserve mainstream attention, but I once discovered a modest altar to Santa Muerte in a sweetheart’s home, and couldn’t believe this “normal” family adored Santa Muerte 😬 I’ll never forget that, really opened my mind to the underground belief diversity in Mexico City

[clockofthepass]

Can I just say, the way you opened the video was perfect. No plugs, no unnecessary into, or any formalities. You really drew me in by mentioning Breaking Bad and Ghost Recon. Bravo.

[anon]

Santa Muerte is super interesting. I didn't know that the public veneration of her was such a recent phenomenon. Obviously there was a spiritual need among the population for a character like her, since the movement grew so quickly.

[icebabey]

I’m from a town in the Midwest w/ a huge Mexican immigrant population and tho I don’t live near where a majority of that population lives, I’ve seen a lot of iconography of Santa Muerte. She was my first exposure to saints in general since I didn’t grow up Catholic and I always liked her, even when I didn’t really understand her or what she stood for past her association with death.

[SeuaDoesntGiveAF]

There is a Santa Muerte that is enshrined in a legitimate Catholic Church in the Philippines. It is made out of ivory and is brought to the Philippines about 150 years ago. It was probably based on Mexican Santa Muerte. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, however, deny that the two are related ang reasoned out in a televised interview that the interpretation of the two saints and the religious representations are different.

[ksplatypus]

As a Mexican-American, I grew up seeing images of Santa Muerte in devotional candles and statues for sale at local Mexican markets in Wisconsin of all places! My mother warned me against her saying that "while she'll grant you anything, it will always come with a price" and that she's a "jealous saint" who punishes those who worship others before her.
I see her very much as described here: an amoral entity that reflects the worshippers themselves. She's quite popular among many in the LGBT community in Mexico and in Mexican-American circles since Catholic institutions often turn us away. As more and more people see their situations as desperate and turn to anything for survival, veneration of la santísima muerte will only continue to grow

[WJH]

In Houston, TX you will see many cars with bumper stickers or signs of Santa Muerte on the cars. You can also find candles to her in Mexican supermarkets. It’s really wide spread

[sorceresque]

Santa Muerte also plays a prominent role in 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels'! In the show, she functions not only as a venerated deity, but also a character with stakes in the overarching story. Highly recommended! I've been wanting to learn more about her since I saw the show so, to both you and Dr. Kingsbury, thank you for this explainer!

[ryanb]

I had always assumed it was a recent offshoot of catholicism, but seeing it as a holdout of pre Columbian religion is really interesting. It's a good example of the resilience of a culture.

[fabrisseterbrugghe]

Saint Sarah would be interesting. She’s the folk saint of the French Romani.