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If you follow true crime then you need to know about Santa Muerte. Santa Muerte is death personified and she goes by many names. Originating in Mexico as folk practice she is now among the fastest-growing religions.
Santa Muerte often brings up the image of a terrifying female grim reaper. Sometimes, relating to drug trafficking and cartels. It can seem like this is all she is a symbol of darkness for bad people. However, Santa Muerte is more than this and the least of that.
The skeleton lady of Holy Death is a champion of the downtrodden and marginalized. This is why the Mexican government and the Catholic church have tried to erase her.
Santa Muerte is multifaceted but she is described as a cult or religion. Devotees might tell you it is neither and that she is a practice with very deep roots. The lady's origins are murky but it's possible she has Aztec connections. Especially to a particular death goddess of the time. At first, she was only known to wise women / elderly healers. Then she began to spread to young men in prisons and it kept going from there. Eventually, the practice of Santa Muerte began to be more open and it was heralded by women. Previously, any worship or rituals of the skinny lady was done in private.
Now, she is an icon and you can see her everywhere. The influence she has is far-reaching from the poorest of the communities to the highest. On both sides of criminals and authorities. The boney Lady represents empowerment to anyone marginalized. Most importantly, she is a representative of the LGBTQ+, especially transgender people. We can't forget that she is also a patron for sex workers. Also, the patron of those wishing protection from violent deaths. Santa Muerte promises miracles to her devotees and these miracles can be of many types. The way she is worshiped changes within each group. This could explain her many personalities and differences within the culture.
Marginalized groups experience murder and violence at higher rates than the majority. This is why if you are an advocate you need to know about Santa Muerte. On one hand, she is an icon for the victims and on the other for the perpetrators. The role she plays in true crime can be large and meaningful for both sides.
Understanding this role and how it impacts the situation can help your advocacy. It can help you relate to and understand the victims. A victim who had a Santa Muerte who wore green indicates they needed legal help. On the other hand, it can help you find clues about the killers. A body that laid before Santa Muerte could indicate a sacrifice. Some criminal groups think the bigger the sacrifices the more help they receive. There is more information out there about this! I must also point out that the media might be giving us biased information about her connections to criminals. We can't ignore this possibility given the attempts to remove her as a people's icon by people in authority.
One of the reasons why Santa Muerte is so large is because of true crime. Jonathon Vargas was a follower of Santa Muerte and a community activist. Jonathon was murdered by 13 people who shot him before the project of his shrine could be completed. Then Enriqueta Vargas who was his mother went to Santa Muerte. This mother petitioned for vengeance against her son's murderers. In return, she promised Santa Muerte to make her son's small shrine as large as she could and spread her message. Santa Muerte granted her request and now Enriqueta owns the largest shrine in Mexico.
Santa Muerte is the unexpected ally but perfectly fits her role. I hope researching her helps you connect to her marginalized devotees. I also hope it helps you find clues that could help solve violent crimes. If you feel like she is something you want to research even further I recommend looking into the Youtube Channel "The Grave Ghoul" Links below.
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