by Orsetta Bellini
Mrs.Enriqueta, founder of the altar to the Holy Death of the Neighborhood of Tepito, in Mexico City observes her work. (PHOTO BY BY ORSETTA BELLANI)
On the night of Oct. 31 of each year, in Mexico City thousands of people gather around the 1500 shrines dedicated to Santa Muerte (Holy Death). The figure of Santa Muerte, also called “White Girl” is the image of the bony death wearing a scythe in one hand and with the other hand it holds the globe. The White Girl wears gold when asked for economic favors, black when asked for full protection or red when the devotee asks for love.
Her representations are found in all Mexican markets: statues, posters, necklaces, charms. The Santa Muerte is present on the altars of the peripheries of large cities and some small communities, in the dashboards of cars, in shirts or even in the tattoos of their young faithful.
The Santa Muerte is considered the Saint for drug traffickers, prostitutes, homosexuals and all those who are not accepted by the Catholic Church. In reality,her worship goes beyond this: according to the local press, the Santa Muerte has a number of faithful estimated between 5 and 10 million. In 2011 the Archbishop Norberto Rivera of Mexico City announced the arrival of a group of exorcists, to win back the lost souls.
The Santa Muerte doesn’t have bishops and is venerated in the houses, in the streets, in makeshift chapels. The most famous shrine is the one founded by Doña Queta, in the neighborhood of Tepito, where the rosary in her honor is prayed on the first day of each month. The most important night of prayer is on October 31st, the night of the dead according to the Catholic religion. “The Catholic Church does not recognize Santa Muerte because it does not understand her, it does not speak with her. Every month I travel from Cuernavaca (about a hundred miles south of Mexico City) to Tepito’s altar to pray, she is good, she helps me and protects me,” says Madam Teresa, as she hugs and kisses the statue of the White Girl she carries with her.
In Mexico, the worship of the death dates back to 1600 and has increased its number of followers especially in recent years, perhaps because of the collective trauma that has imposed a new way to relate to her: the war on drugs undertaken by the Mexican government, which in six years has caused more than 50,000 victims.
When the Spanish conquered America to devastate it and convert it to Catholicism, the indigenous religions were banned. To limit the loss of their culture, indigenous people created an interesting form of religious syncretism: mixing Christian and pagan symbols, they found a way to worship their idols by “disguising” them as saints.
In Tepito the faithful line up to touch the altar of Doña Queta accompanied by mariachis, traditional Mexican bands of trumpets and guitars. They exchange views on the miracles performed by the Santa Muerte and bring statues, flowers, incense, cigarettes, beer and liquor as an offering.
Some people approach the altar walking around the neighborhood on their knees, and many faithful come from far away. Mrs. Ana Hidalgo, from a city that is located about three hours from the capital, says: “They fired nine shots at my son and the doctors said he would have died. A friend of mine brought me a statue of the White Girl and ever since my son’s health started to improve. The Santa Muerte is good and is a beautiful woman. Julio from the city of Cuernavaca agrees: “The White Girl is a beautiful woman: the beauty of a woman has nothing to do with her appearance but with her inner self. Throughout a year, while praying, the Holy Death appeared before me, but I did not direct my prayers to her. Then I had a car accident, I thought I was going to die, but I survived. Since then, when I have the chance, I always go to the altar of Tepito to pray to the White Girl. And she gave me another miracle: my wife was pregnant and the doctors said my son would not be born. But in the end, thanks to her, he was born.”
