There are between 2,000 and 10,000 saints in the world according to the Catholic Church, which considers a “saint” to be a person living in heaven. However, of these saints, only a few are commemorated and celebrated, while others have fallen into oblivion over the course of history. Santa Muerte, also known as the Saint of Death, is a Mexican saintly figure who represents death and agony. She is also compared to Hades, the god of the underworld, in ancient Greece. This figure of Mexican folklore has a long and rich history as a religious entity, dating back long before the Spanish conquests of North and Central America. In fact, you can find our best Santa Muerte T-Shirt here!
Various cultures have sought to personify death in different ways, from the Danse Macabre of the Middle Ages to Mexico’s Day of the Dead, as well as other traditions in different parts of the Americas. Death has taken on many different faces and forms.
Here are ten fascinating facts about Santa Muerte, the Saint of Death, one of the most captivating symbols of death humanity has ever created. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
10) Similarity Between Santa Muerte and Grim Reaper
Santa Muerte, though technically a goddess, bears a striking resemblance to the Grim Reaper we all know. She is most often depicted as a large skeleton dressed in black, often carrying a scythe, sometimes a pocket watch or scales. This figure is also associated with all the characteristics of the art of death, such as the Danse Macabre, which embodied and personified death in Europe in the Middle Ages, music 🎶, dance and various other fields over time.
9) Everyone Meets the Angel of Death
In a very real way, Santa Muerte believers see this figure as a partner in their lives, a saint or goddess to follow. They subscribe to the idea that death is the ultimate equalizer. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor, good or bad, kind or downright malevolent. One day, at some point, Death will come for you! ⚰️
This great equalization has attracted many followers of all types, from the most conservative to progressive crowds who feel rejected by the Catholic Church or the governments of the states under which they reside, thus covering almost all social classes.
8) Goddess of Death: Pre-Hispanic origin (Aztec culture)
Santa Muerte’s cultural roots are rich, long, intertwined and complex. It’s a fusion of European traditions, including that of the Grim Reaper and the Danse Macabre, with indigenous American traditions. Although not officially recognized by the Catholic Church, this dark and sinister figure has roots in the personification of death and the cult of death in Aztec culture.
The Aztecs were obsessed with mortality, death and the afterlife. So it’s not surprising that when the Spanish conquistadors arrived, these two cultures merged to create something very interesting: Santa Muerte. Here are a few lines from an Aztec poem written in the mid-1520s, after the arrival of the Spanish:
These words represent some of the roots of the modern version and fusion that would become Santa Muerte, going back to a distant time, to reflections on death and mortality that took place long before our era. But long before these words were even engraved, the Aztecs worshipped a goddess of death named Mictecacihuatl.
They celebrated it on an occasion very similar to today’s Mexican Dia de los Muertos, literally “Day of the Dead”. After the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico and the beginning of the conversion of the natives to Catholicism, the date of the festival was moved to coincide with All Saints’ Day and the Feast of the Dead, on November 1 and 2. The two feasts were later merged in Latin American culture.
7) Day of the Dead celebrations
Santa Muerte celebrations take different forms in different regions and are fairly widespread. Just as the Aztecs originally did, today Santa Muerte and Dia de los Muertos are celebrated with food, dancing, singing, wine and other alcoholic beverages 🍾 as well as masquerade costume.
All set to a dark and morbid theme, where practitioners embrace the nature of death, not as an end but as a transition from one form of life to another. Those who celebrate this holiday not only mourn their departed loved ones, but also look forward to their loved ones’ journey to what they believe to be another existence. It’s also a time for them to meditate on their own death and the nature of existence itself.
What happens when you die? It’s a question that has confronted mankind since time immemorial. Those who believe in Santa Muerte as a figure to follow would rather face such questions than run from them or deflect them.
6) A Revered Holy Woman
During these Day of the Dead celebrations, as well as at other times of the year, Santa Muerte devotees set up places of worship and shrines dedicated to “the Lady”. Here, they seek consolation and comfort in their beliefs. Unlike the European Grim Reaper, this goddess is loved and worshipped, just like Hades. 🔱 She is seen as the one who opens the doors to a better spiritual world.
Alcohol, incense, sweets and other delicious foods are consumed in the cult of Santa Muerte, Our Lady of the Holy Death. The figure of Santa Muerte wears different-colored robes during prayer for different reasons. It is believed that this goddess can grant favors and realize what the practitioner can see in a dream. White robes are a symbol of purity, red robes represent passion or love, and green robes represent justice. There are also amber robes for health and black robes for protection.
5) Goddess of Love & Success
There is a deep and ancient link that connects Santa Muerte’s lineage to the ancestors of Colombians and links the goddess not to death, but to love. It has been noted that Santa Muerte began her career as a goddess and practitioner of the magic of love. It was a way for devotees to win the affection of the person they desperately loved. A poem written to the deity for this purpose, a kind of prayer, translated into English in 1947, has been found:
Thus, this goddess of death, this saint of the dead, also began as a figure who sought to seduce a person for whom she felt an unrequited love. A love so intense that the being would do anything to possess this beloved person. Many, many other prayers were uttered to increase the chances of finding success in love through this Lady. We can imagine that they have become even more abundant over time.
4) Santa Muerte: At the Heart of the Mexican Cartels
Unfortunately, good things can only last so long before they are hijacked and perverted in their intentions by some people. Such is the case with Santa Muerte, which, for better or worse, has also become a symbol of success for Latin American criminals, street gangs and prisoners. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why. With its association with darkness and death, the image of Santa Muerte is almost perfect for intimidation and terror, even if this was not at all the aim of the original religious meaning. Thus, Santa Muerte found itself at the heart of the drug cartel wars.
3) Popular Mexican Cult Not Very Catholic
This figure’s name is often tainted by the West’s conspiracy and alarmist campaigns. Warnings about the alleged “dangers” of Santa Muerte as a cult threatening the Church, the State or society in general multiply. Fortunately, journalists as well as sane and moderate individuals see this practice for what it really is: a tradition, an expression of human existence, with a rich cultural heritage spanning thousands of years, and certainly not a manifestation of Satanism.
Some sources have even begun to trace the history of Santa Muerte back to mortuary rituals practiced 100,000 years ago, making it clear that humans are doing what they’ve always done: honoring their dead with funerary rites and meditating on their own deaths.
2) Modernity & Manifestation Symbol
For those in modern times who have been marginalized, discriminated against or excluded, Santa Muerte has also been a support for minorities, feminists, the LGBT community 🏳️🌈 and other groups suffering hatred or violence. This saint, or goddess, depending on one’s perspective, has been a guide, a help for many people facing adversity and personal challenges.
The disenfranchised often find comfort and refuge in belief in this saint. She has the ability to guide them, to help them make decisions to improve their lives, and to ward off those who wish them ill. It’s interesting that a figure revered for so long has become such a progressive icon for so many people today.
1) From Mexico to Los Angeles
Despite attempts to wipe out this saint and the festivals associated with her, Santa Muerte and Dia de los Muertos events enjoy great popularity. These events began in Mexico, spread to Los Angeles and then to the rest of the United States. But this dark expression of humanity is not to be feared.
For many, it’s simply enjoyable entertainment, and for others, it’s a source of inspiration and healing. Santa Muerte is actually one of the fastest-growing religious figures in the United States. Festivals in her honor abound, as individuals and families seek to have fun, but also to reflect on the definition of death. If you want your own Day of the Dead symbol, get the Mexican Skull Ring. 🔥THE MOST POPULAR PRODUCTS🔥
