Everything you need to know about Santa Muerte

Death comes for us all, for some as a shadow waiting to snatch our soul, for others an angel descended from heaven to bring us home. In all cultures around the world, there are references or myths about personified death. The image of death is depicted as a reaper, a guardian of the underworld, a faceless ghost, and in Mexico, it is Santa Muerte.

Although the Catholic Church and the Mexican government have officially rejected the cult of Santa Muerte (the saint of death) in Mexico, one cannot deny the popularity and fervor of its followers. Death is sometimes represented in the form of a man, but in Mexico, you will most often find it in the form of a female entity. A skeletal figure, Santa Muerte should not be confused with the popular Mexican image of Catrina - the personification of indigenous Mexicans who wanted to adopt European styles, an image first drawn by Jose Guadalupe Posada.

Mexico has a particular affection for the Virgin of Guadalupe - her cult far surpasses that of all other Catholic saints and perhaps even Christ himself. It is therefore logical that the Mexican saint of death is a woman. This country also has a long tradition of celebrating the dead and gathering with them during the annual Day of the Dead festivities. Mexicans consider Dia de Muertos as an opportunity to invite the dead to return among the living and to celebrate the life they lived with those they left behind.

This tradition dates back to before the Spanish colonization, when the indigenous tribes of Mexico practiced a strong cult of death, believing in various gods and goddesses of the underworld and the dead and spending their summer months performing rituals similar to those of the Day of the Dead, such as setting up altars to the deceased, eating special foods, and celebrating with music and dances.

Santa Muerte has gained popularity from the 1990s to today, as the situation of ordinary Mexicans is complicated by drug trafficking violence, poverty, and the difficulty of making their way in a society that is not always kind to its lower classes. This is part of her appeal to the poorest and most working-class residents of Mexico.

Until July 1, 2016, a monthly rosary was held for Santa Muerte at a street altar in Tepito, one of the toughest central neighborhoods in Mexico City. The rosary took place at an altar maintained by the Romero family on Alfarería Street, but it was canceled by its hostess when her husband was shot dead in front of the altar on June 7, 2016. But believers still come: to pray to the Santisima to heal their ailments, solve their problems, and protect their children. They are warned not to make promises to Santa Muerte that they cannot keep under penalty of feeling her wrath.

Other altars are found in the Centro Historico of Mexico City where believers leave red apples, alcohol, tobacco, flowers, and candles as offerings to the flaquita ("the skinny one"), as she is sometimes called.

Throughout the country, you will find variations of the cult of Santa Muerte, especially in the states of Veracruz and Hidalgo. Most believers have a figurine of Santa Muerte at home, which they decorate, dress, talk to, and pray to - an important member of their family. The tacit rules of the cult of Santa Muerte consist of giving her the respect and deference she demands. Instead of being considered a satanic symbol in Mexico, Santa Muerte is always under the direction of God, as one of his workers, a necessary part of the life cycle of every human, and a saint we must all know.