People have always shown a keen interest in death, despite its sombre image. This depiction of death has acquired symbolic significance, and has found its way into the art of tattooing. The Santa Muerte tattoo, widely venerated in Mexico, vividly embodies this interest.
1) The meaning of Santa Muerte tattoos
The Santa Muerte tattoo takes the form of a skeleton holding a scythe behind the shoulder. The Mexican Santa Muerte may carry a bullet in one hand and a scale in the other. The scales symbolize power and justice, while the bullet symbolizes the earth. Thus, this representation shows that death has power over the whole world, and that everyone will encounter it sooner or later. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
Over 5 million Mexicans venerate this saint, who embodies the image of death. She is considered a merciful mother and the patron saint of all humanity. What’s more, devout followers of Santa Muerte are convinced that she helps them survive in the criminal world, gives them the strength and ability to support their families, and cures all kinds of illnesses.
The Santa Muerte tattoo holds a special significance for Mexican bandits and cartel members involved in drug trafficking. For them, this bodily representation is a protective image that shields them from the bullets of enemies and the handcuffs of the police. The process of tattooing such an illustration on the skin is a sacred ritual that requires the owner to fulfill certain strict obligations.
Tattoo sketches in the Santa Muerte style are often depicted in the form of a woman’s face, with cranial elements. These tattoos highlight the nose and eyes with specific colors, depict earrings as crosses, paint a rose in the hair and draw seam-like lines near the mouth or lips.
A spider’s web can be depicted on the forehead or chin. Different colors are used to tattoo the image of death on the body, making the image both colorful and slightly frightening for those unfamiliar with it.
2) An unconventional Mexican Saint
The history of Santa Muerte is largely mysterious, with the exception of her origins in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Only recently has the saint become an important figure for millions of people in Central and South America, and even parts of North America. However, the Vatican has distanced itself from the Catholic faith towards the Saint of Death. In 2013, it even called the cult “blasphemy against religion”. However, this hasn’t stopped Santa Muerte’s popularity from growing exponentially. Its most famous shrine is in downtown Mexico City.
It was inevitable that people would turn Our Lady of the Holy Death into body art. At the end of this article, you can see some tattoos in honor of Santa Muerte. Some people are very interested in dedicating their entire back to a shrine tattooed in honor of the Mexican Grim Reaper.
Santa Muerte is a sect distinct from other religions. However, according to the Huffington Post newspaper, the Mexican Santa Muerte doesn’t necessarily seek exclusive devotion from people. In fact, some Santa Muerte followers still actively practice other religions in parallel. Most images of Santa Muerte depict her as a skeleton wearing the dress of a saint.
While the number of practicing Catholics continues to decline, the number of Santa Muerte devotees is actually increasing. “She has between 10 and 12 million devotees, and her popularity is only 12 years old,” says Andrew Chestnut, author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, in Vice magazine.
There’s no denying that this saint is creepy, and your parents probably wouldn’t approve of you getting a tattoo of this Saint of Death.
Part of the Mexican folklore surrounding Santa Muerte claims that she is the most efficient and quickest saint to answer prayers, but this service comes at a price. Santa Muerte will answer your prayers, but only if you make her a promise. Failure to keep this promise will have serious consequences, such as the loss of a loved one.
After decades as a marginal saint, Santa Muerte is enjoying a renaissance and has taken root in the collective consciousness of Mexicans, South Americans and even Catholics. This transition to the ordinary world has so frightened the Catholic Church that its representatives are looking for ways to relegate Santa Muerte to oblivion. The Catholic Church has taken a firm stance, calling Santa Muerte a satanic cult.
Enriqueta Romero is the woman credited with bringing Santa Muerte out of obscurity and into the limelight. The first real altar to the Holy Death was installed in front of her house in Mexico City’s barrio Tepito. Enriqueta Romero and Enriqueta Vargas ensured that Santa Muerte became known throughout Mexico.
This is quite surprising. Two women with the same name have taken a stand against the Catholic Church. Enriqueta Vargas lives in Tultitlán and performs weddings and baptisms for Santa Muerte devotees. Despite an ongoing campaign against Santa Muerte, the Church seems to be losing the battle against the saint. “Many people here devote themselves to her while still considering themselves good Catholics,” says Chesnut. “It’s a real challenge for the Church.” Enriqueta Romero doesn’t mind the Catholic Church’s constant pressure to cover up Santa Muerte.
“They can try,” Romero tells National Geographic regarding Church pressure, “but have you seen how empty their churches are?”. Santa Muerte does indeed seem to be causing Catholic clerics a great deal of concern. The criminal situation in Mexico has prompted some cartel members to develop a certain interest in Santa Muerte.
3) The ideal location for a Santa Muerte tattoo: Arm, Back or Leg?
Although there are no standardized rules or practices regarding Santa Muerte tattoos, many devotees opt for a tattoo on the arm. It’s an easy location to wear on a daily basis, and one of the easiest areas to conceal if necessary.
The leg is also a good option if you want to keep your tattoo discreet, especially at work. If you like to show off your developed muscles at the gym, you can choose the back to get a huge tattoo with careful detailing and lots of features.
If all these tattoos interest you, but you don’t necessarily want to wear this work of art for life, you can opt for temporary tattoos. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
