Dal Messico al mondo: il lungo viaggio della Santa Muerte

From Mexico to the World: the Long Journey of Santa Muerte

This article presents a brief history and the recent evolution of the Mexican devotion to Santa Muerte (Holy Death), paying attention to the social and cultural factors that contributed to shape this new religious movement and its expansion outside Mexico. The topic has been studied with an ethnographic perspective, researching the most recognized and traditional Mexican altars of Santa Muerte, especially in the city of Tultitlán and in Mexico City’s neighborhoods of Tepito and Merced, and interviewing experts and keepers (guardianas) in order to compare different experiences and practices. The study attempts to offer a framework of the Mexican society and its problems – like the lack of welfare, the security crisis, the “drug war” and the bad record in the respect of human rights – through the lenses of the devotion to Santa Muerte.