Believers of Santa Muerte celebrate their virgin in the brave neighborhood of Tepito in Mexico City on the eve of the Day of the Dead, a special date for them where they thank and remind EFE that she "does no harm to anyone." “She never does evil, she does good. (...) I am very grateful, I owe him so much, and to God too," says Cindy López, 34, who has been a devotee for 14 years and brought a music band to the Holy Trinity this year in an interview with the Efe agency. Death.
Tepito, located in the historic center of Mexico City, is one of the neighborhoods with the most marked identity in the capital, which mixes a powerful cultural and intellectual history as well as strong social problems such as crime and drug addiction. Alfarería Street is filled these days with people who come to the place to thank Santa Muerte for fulfilling their requests, which range from curing illnesses to staying away from the consumption of narcotics, or asking not to be contacted by people they do not want to have in contact. their lives.
Neighbors proud of the tradition come to the celebration, but also people from other parts of the city and even from other countries. “In this life a leaf does not move without the will of God, God knows why I am here. (...) It means a lot of peace for me to see so many people with faith,” says Enriqueta, who manages the altar, which turns 22 this year.
Around them, a frenzy of tobacco and marijuana smoke, firecrackers, praise of Santa Muerte and intermittent showers of tequila. “(The altar will be here) Until I get the hell done (until I die), only God knows,” he says, assuring that he does not ask for anything from Santa Muerte because she alone grants it to him.
Cindy, for her part, says that thanks to her she got away from a bad path and also from a violent relationship. “She kept me away from drugs and alcohol, I've been clean for five years. (..). and now I am in the process of entering the prison police, I come to ask you to help me pass my exam on Friday,” she shares.
The cult of Santa Muerte, also known as the “white girl,” has an enigmatic past, further proof of religious syncretism in Mexico. Enriqueta assures that the faith in Santa Muerte does not have pre-Hispanic origins, but according to various researchers it dates back to 1795, when the indigenous people worshiped a skeleton in a town in central Mexico.
It was kept secret for almost two centuries and, in Mexico City, the cult began to proliferate in the 1940s, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The emergence of the phenomenon, which claims to have some five million faithful around the world, occurred in the mid-1990s, when devotion moved from homes to the streets. Now, Santa Muerte is worshiped by people of multiple origins and classes. Her faithful assure that her Saint opens her arms to all people. She is a saint of the people.
