La Santa Muerte has unclear roots, though some believe the folk saint emerged as a combination of Spanish Catholicism and Aztec worship of Mictecacihuatl, the queen of the underworld and the afterlife. More extreme forms of worship involve bowls of bloodanimal and humanat the altars and smeared on the religious icons and on the devotee as part of a blood pact.9. Kevin Freese, The Death Cult of the Drug Lords: Mexicos Patron Saint of Crime, Criminals, and the Dispossessed, http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/documents/Santa-Muerte/santa-muerte.htm. In their rituals, such as the Rosary of Santa Muerte, devotees often call her 'Santsima Muerte' which literally translates as 'holiest death.' In English, she is called Saint Death or Holy Death. There's plenty of instances where people have been led into negative encounters by items concering 'Santa Muerte.' The Chruch has spoken against the folk 'saint' which is invoked heavily in cartel culture. Next, relax, let go. [Image at right] Often, she holds a set of scales representing her ability to deliver justice to those in trouble with the law, or who require revenge. Since this conflict began, over 45,000 people have died in the fighting, and the areas of impunity have grown to include wide swaths of territory constituting hundreds of locales now under control of the cartels. 9 Tony Kail, Santa Muerte: Mexicos Mysterious Saint of Death (La Vergne, TN: Fringe Research Press, 2010): 128. There is a sentiment that Santa Muerte was fused from both Mictecacihuatl and the Grim Reaper. They tied him to a chair and sawed off his legs and an arm. It also is important to note that persons may move from inspired actions to either individual signatures or group ritualization. Such items provide insight into the spiritual orientation of suspects, arrestees, persons of interest, and potential victims of Santa Muerte-linked killings. Marshal, Western District of Texas, whose Patron Saints of the Mexican Drug Underworld training provided additional research and law enforcement practitioner insights used in this article. However, adherents generally consider Santa Muerte a jealous and vengeful deity who demands that her followers conduct the rituals and sacrifices properly to avoid her divine wrath. [removed] Because of the wide number of ideas. These ritualized killings bring back memories of the 1989 murder of an American college student in Matamoros. Actually, if you carefully piece it together and restore it at the best of your abilities, she will probably like it even more. The University of Texas at Brownsville Offers a Class in Mexican Witchcraft. Santa Muerte specializes in granting material needs and protection. I accidentally knocked over one of my Santa Muerte statues. Part of her popularity results from her characterization as nonjudgmental (amoral) and a source of supernatural intervention for her followers who engage in the correct rituals and provide the proper offerings and sacrifices. On 6 May 2021, three heavily armed men stormed into the Santa Muerte temple known as Santa Muerte Internacional Tultitln (SMI Tultitln), firing off shots into the air. On my Mexico journey this time, I went to the most dangerous neighborhood in Mexico City and experienced the festivity honoring the Lady of the Death, Santa . Work with her saint through candles and statues. Mexico still contains a significant population of persons living in poverty and feeling disenfranchised by a government system perceived as being based on patron-client relationships and the influence of wealthy ruling families. An old crime scene photo displays a Santa Muerte statuette among the ritualistic tools belonging to the group.12An incident once considered anomalous now serves as an early event warning of the growing influence of narcocultura in Mexico. In a pinch, a photo of Santa Muerte as your phone or computer background can work. Punished by the Mexican government and the Catholic Church, Santa Muerte gains followers all over the world, and not only narcos. 7 Mexican Holy Death Sect Leader Arrested, Fox News Latino, January 5, 2011, http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/01/05/mexican-holy-death-sect-leader-arrested/ (accessed August 28, 2012). They are carried out in the belief that they are the best way of achieving an effect. She wants to cure illness, addictions and help gain her devotee's prosperity, legal issues, protection from harm. 14 Bunker, Torture, Beheadings, and Narcocultos, 166. In Monterey, Mexico, in May 2007, members of the Gulf Cartel left their murdered victims at a public Santa Muerte shrine. : https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfastCheck out my. This has happened during training more than once.22 Programs and writings concerning wellness and spirituality in policing can provide spiritual armor against dark ritualistic crime scenes and altars containing human remains.23. You already done what you are supposed to do, speak and explain. January 9, 2017 by Jon Watkins. It comes in a oz. Although a reverence for death has long been part of traditional Mexican culture, exemplified by the hugely popular . In the rough neighborhood of Tepito, Mexico City, in 2004, authorities arrested a local car thief who later died in prison. They are part of a larger system of coherent, interlinked rituals that have desired results. Instead, only offer them glasses of water. Santa Muerte's Appearance and Purpose Santa Muerte appears as a skeletal figure, dressed in the colorful and delicate garb of historic Spanish descent, holding a scythe and a globe or set of scales in her hands. If someone was leaving small items related to Santa Muerte in an area I was responsible for cleaning, and I wanted to dispose of them respectfully, I'd gather them in a box and once a month or so (depends how frequently they're appearing) I'd arrange them at the feet of a large Santa Muerte statue at a botanica. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2201097/posts (accessed August 28, 2012). For some, this is traditional. Individual ritual actions often are characterized by specific signs. In Lewis's novel, the novena to the Santa Muerte is treated like a secret, passed by word of mouth among . Santa Muerte is a very territorial spirit. (Staff photos by Michael Rodriguez and Francisco E. Jimenez) By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ & MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ San Benito News Rather than plates of food, beer, and tobacco, in some instances, the heads of victims (and presumably their souls) have served as offerings to invoke powerful petitions for divine intervention. Story provided to a researcher by a local Santa Muerte follower. A statue of the Santa Muerte is pictured at the San Benito Municipal Cemetery on Thursday, when two local women expressed concern that the folk figure's image was "disrespectful" to the memory of those buried on the grounds. She does not appreciate sharing altar space with other powers or spirits - the list of whom she will tolerate in her space is very short. To schedule a hazardous waste material pickup through our residential door-to-door household hazardous waste collections program, click here and select Request Pickup. The police incident report noted the Santa Muerte imagery at the crime scene.17. . The Santa Muerte is given the power to walk beyond the world and back, to collect a soul when the flame of life is extinguished. Tony Kail, Santa Muerte: Mexicos Mysterious Saint of Death (Seattle, WA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2010). The representation in images is also similar. After he bled to death, a female member removed his head and gave it to Santa Muerte as an offering. For U.S. law enforcement agencies, the rise of a criminalized and dark variant of Santa Muerte worship holds many negative implications. Evidently one of the car's previous owners had tucked it in there (I'm certain my Catholic friend did not). She is most often depicted as a female Grim Reaper outfitted with a scythe and wearing a shroud. Sometimes it can be so extreme that it condones morally corrupt behaviorswhat many people would consider as resulting from an evil value system that rewards personal gain above all else, promoting the intentional pain and suffering of others, and, even, viewing killing as a pleasurable activity. She is typically depicted as a skeletal figure dressed in a long robe, carrying a scythe. The building hosts both a temple and a holistic medical and religious supply store (botanica) that carries votaries, amulets, rosaries, icons, and books of spells (Platner 2012). Next to the rubble stood a small shed containing a Santa Muerte shrine with still-lit candles. They reflect the belief that they are necessary to reach a particular goal. 23 Samuel L. Feemster, Wellness and Spirituality: Beyond Survival Practices for Wounded Warriors, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, May 2009: 2-8; Spirituality: An Invisible Weapon for Wounded Warriors, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, January 2009: 1-12; and Spirituality: The DNA of Law Enforcement Practice, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, November 2007: 8-17. The latest variant of the Cult of Santa Muerte promotes extreme, corrupt, and criminaleven evilbehaviors. Regarding one incident, authorities found at the crime scene the remnants of an apparent altar and the words Santa Muerte and cudanos flakita (take care of us, skinny) spray painted. Depictions of Santa Muerte usually involve a robe-clad female skeleton. Still, many of these men and women who brutalize, torture, and kill others need a way to rationalize their activities. Other cases have included individuals castrated and beheaded while alive, lit on fire and burned to death, and butchered and quartered. Having only four documented (three confirmed) Santa Muerte homicide related incidents is encouraging, particularly because the Mexican cartels have operatives in over 1,000 U.S. cities. Established in 2006, Templo Santa Muerte is located in a converted storefront in central Los Angeles. I pieced back together her hand and scythe. Leadership Spotlight: President John Quincy Adams and Bounded Ethicality, Leadership Spotlight: Leadership During Change, Leadership Spotlight: Intent vs. Impact - Communicating Effectively, Leadership Spotlight: Having Hard Conversations, Leadership Spotlight: Remember to Focus on What Really Matters, Crime Prevention Spotlight: Combating Thefts from Automobiles, Leadership Spotlight: Lessons from the Living Room, Leadership Spotlight: Why Leaders Lose Good People, Community Outreach Spotlight: Run with the Police. Santa Muerte can be translated into English as either "Saint Death" or "Holy Death", although the professor of Religious studies R. Andrew Chesnut believes that the former is a more accurate translation because it "better reveals" her identity as a folk saint.. LordoftheLies April 16, 2020, 4:15am #4. FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. government, U.S. Department of Justice. Leadership Spotlight: Single Point of Failure, Leadership Spotlight: Communicating with Millennials - Using Brevity, Community Outreach Spotlight: Redefining School Resource Officers Roles. Maybe you can cover it with a white piece of fabric, before disposing of it. Relax and let go of every worry and concern. Red symbolizes love. The highest annals of the . In the Yucatn, outside of Cancun, Mexico, in September 2008, investigators found 11 headless bodies stacked together. Give it to someone else. Based on the graffiti messages, the victims belonged to the Gulf Cartel. The harsher version has gained popularity in Mexico as the criminal insurgencies taking place in the country have spread and intensified. Components of the rituals also hold importance. Candles help to focus worshiper concentration and act as a conduit so that Santa Muerte receives the prayers. Lewis published his work at the beginning of the 60s, meaning that the cult existed at least since the mid-50s in the Tepito neighborhood in Mexico City. Earlier, Monroy bragged that he had protection from death, previously died five times and came back, and could kill someone by just looking at them.16, A written report, videotape, and photographs documented Monroys murder, which featured his body and severed head laying in his living room. The death of someones enemies, protection from harm (or, at least, hope for a quick and glorious death), cultivation of a dangerous reputation, and ability to enjoy the benefits of fabulous richesincluding the company of beautiful womenbecome paramount. Peace officers in cartel training have stated that they will have nothing to do with such Santa Muerte artifacts as altars, candles, statues, amulets, pictures, and sacrificial items because they consider them evil and, as a result, will not enter dwellings that contain them. An additional concern is the promotion of alleged rituals, such as blood baptism, derived from wearing bloody human skins taken from sacrificial victims. Similar circumstances have helped link killings in Mexico to Santa Muerte worshipers. Santa Muerte, 'the fastest-growing new religious movement in the Americas' with an estimated 12 million followers, has grown in popularity during the pandemic, says VCU professor and author of 'Devoted to Death.' Share this story Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Print page By Mary Kate Brogan Leadership Spotlight: How Do We Lead from Here? Before 2001, devotees of Santa Muerte largely worshiped in private, erecting shrines in their closets or personal spaces. Mexican authorities arrested one high priest, Romo Guilln, on kidnapping charges in December 2010. Koorpiklaani 1 yr. ago. Leadership Spotlight: Is Happiness Overrated? Leadership Spotlight: The Leader Knows Best? Metro Special Police Department, Washington, D.C. New Taipei City, Taiwan, Police Department, Radford City, Virginia, Police Department, River Vale, New Jersey, Police Department, Port St. Lucie, Florida, Police Department, Northern York County, Pennsylvania, Regional Police Department, Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Police, Missing Person: Amber Lynn Wilde - Green Bay, Wisconsin, Missing Person: Joan M. Rebar - Meriden, Kansas, Unidentified Person: John Doe - Apache Junction, Arizona, Missing Person: Helen Irene Tucker - Tacoma, Washington, Missing Person: Debra Kay King - Tacoma, Washington, Missing Person: Simone Ridinger - Sherborn, Massachusetts, Homicide Victim: Santana Acosta - Phoenix, Arizona, Unidentified Person: John Doe - Arcadia, Florida, Missing Person: Richard Luther Ingram - Fort Lewis, Washington, Missing Person: Kelsie Jean Schelling - Pueblo, Colorado, Missing Person: Jennifer L. Wilson - Derby Kansas, Unidentified Person: Jane Doe - Marion County, Missouri, Unidentified Person: John Doe - Grant County, Kentucky, Unidentified Person: Jane Doe - Naples, Florida, Unidentified Person: Jane Doe - Pike National Forest, Colorado, Missing Person: William Gary Morris - Nashville, Tennessee, Unidentified Person: Jane Doe - Cameron Parish, Louisiana, Unidentified Person: John Doe - Needville, Texas, Unidentified Person: Jane Doe - Glennie, Michigan, Unidentified Person: John Doe - Wickenburg, Arizona, Missing Person: David Emerson, Jr. - Snyder, Texas, Missing Person: Gregory Keith Mann, Jr. - Wichita Falls, Texas, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - January 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - February 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - March 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - April 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - August 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - September 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - October 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - November 2010, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin - 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I set up an altar near the doorway (our primary entrance) and respectfully welcomed his wisdom into our home. During the early hours of October 10, 2010, a cartel kill team stabbed and beheaded Martin Alejandro Cota Jando Monroy, 38 years old, in his apartment. 11 First compiled in 2009, this listing has increased with the inclusion of newly occurring, as well as identified, incidents. Authorities also discovered 11 burn marks arranged in a circle in a nearby fieldpresumably, gang members ritually burned the victims heads. He later disposed of their bodies in a barrel filled with liquid fuel, a method known as a guiso, or stew.15, However, the more recent Chandler event gained considerable media attention and became thoroughly documented due to the police incident report released to the media. Robert J. Bunker (London, UK: Rouledge, 2011), 166; and Robert J. Bunker and John P. Sullivan, Societal Warfare South of the Border? Small Wars Journal (May 22, 2011), http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/societal-warfare-south-of-the-border. The operatives befriended Monroy and moved in with him before the murder. The worshippers of Santa Muerte are primarily disenfranchised, poor Mexicans who turn to the cartels as a means of employment but soon begin the same cycle of murder and torture as those who came before them. If you'd like to show support to my channel: Mysterious Leroy on Patreonhttps://. For U.S. law enforcement officers, it proves far better to be prepared and vigilant than caught off guard. Santa Muerte, though technically a goddess-like figure, bears a striking resemblance to the European Grim Reaper. Over half of the prayers directed at her include petitions to harm other people via curses and death magic.6 Still, many Santa Muerte followers appear benigntypically poor, uneducated, and superstitious individuals who practice a form of unsanctioned saint worship mixed with varying elements of folk Catholicism. take me. St. #Expedite, also known as Saint Expeditus, is a patron saint of urgent matters. 11. 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For specialized federal assistance, the FBI can provide training in management of death investigations and spirituality. The men, who had previously attacked the home of Enriqueta Vargas, the former leader of the temple, looted the shrine for items of worth and beat up staff members. Community Outreach Spotlight: COPTOBER Community Fair, Community Outreach Spotlight: Building Bridges. In Culiacan in January 2010, a suspect placed a decapitated head by the tomb of deceased cartel leader Arturo Beltran Levya. Santa Muerte is establishing a presence among practitioners of contemporary occultism in Europe and North America. The cult appears to have more European than Aztecan origins, with some individuals describing Santa Muerte as a new age Grim Reaper-type goddess, a bad-girl counterpart to the Virgin of Guadalupe.5 Her imagery includes that of a robed skeleton carrying a scythe and globe or scales. See Pamela L. Bunker, Lisa J. Campbell, and Robert J. Bunker, Torture, Beheadings, and Narcocultos, in Narcotics Over the Border, ed. You must ensure that the color of the candle agrees with your desires. Via the El Gio Syndicate, the cartel sent three operatives to the Phoenix, Arizona, area to locate and watch Monroy until orders to kill him came through. After that, cleanse the glass and re-use it in whatever way you choose. New incident sources include: Another Slaughtered in Honor of the Holy Death, Noticieros Televisa (January 10, 2010), http://neglectedwar.com/blog/archives/875 (accessed August 28, 2012); Indetifican Cabeza Ofrendada en Tumba de El Barbas, (January 18, 2010), http://www2.esmas.com/noticierostelevisa/mexico/estados/130952/identifican-cabeza-abandonada-tumba-el-barbas (accessed August 28, 2012); Mail Foreign Service, Drug Cartel Victims Discovered with Their Hearts Cut Out Close to Mexican Resort of Cancun, Daily Mail (June 7, 2010), http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1284590/Bodies-hearts-cut-close-Mexican-resort-Cancun.html (accessed August 28, 2012); and Daniel Borunda, Skeleton, Santa Muerte Altar Found at Alleged Kidnapping Site in Jurez, El Paso Times, July 15, 2011, http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_18481956 (accessed August 28, 2012). 1. Santa Muerte and Day of the Dead celebrations are linked through the deep connection between death, migration, and identity on either side of the border, evoking migrant crossings and deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border, the femicides in Ciudad Jurez and other border towns, the casualties of the drug wars, and the deep-rooted presence of . 4.) CholoCowboy 1 yr. ago. This table serves only as an example. The written report listed burning candles and a small statue and picture of Santa Muerte. But, evidence suggests that the numbers of defections to the cults that worship a perverted Christian god (e.g., La Familia Michoacana and Los Caballeros Templarios) and the various unsanctioned saints (e.g., Jess Malverde, Juan Soldado, and Santa Muerte) have grown for years. In April 2010 in Camargo and Miguel Aleman, perpetrators tortured and decapitated individuals, carved the letter Z into their chests, and placed the victims heads on the roof of a desecrated, graffiti-covered roadside chapel. Join the RFB Patreon community! Leadership Spotlight: Are You An Approachable Leader? The Queen of Death and Goddess of Moon Rays Bruja Yuri then introduces me to Yuritzia, the central statue in the shrine who has been dressed with particular care. Was fused from both Mictecacihuatl and the Grim Reaper outfitted with a scythe deceased... Female skeleton Monroy and moved in with him before how to dispose of santa muerte murder the Gulf Cartel left their victims!: CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2010 ) these ritualized killings bring back of! Torture, and Narcocultos, 166 many of these men and women who brutalize Torture... Assistance, the victims belonged to the European Grim Reaper 11 burn marks arranged in a converted storefront in Los! 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High priest, Romo Guilln, on kidnapping charges in December 2010 Los Angeles a way to rationalize activities., carrying a scythe, cleanse the glass and re-use it in whatever you! In Monterey, Mexico, in May 2007, members of the Gulf Cartel left their murdered at!