Santa Muerte - Centro Historico, Ciudad de Mexico

Posted by Luis A. De Jesus R. (Mexico City, Mexico) on 3 January 2009 in Documentary & Street and Portfolio.

Santa Muerte (Holy Death) is venerated by some in Mexico. A belief system condemned by the Catholic Church as a form of Satanism, the members of this cult ironically ask God for permission to pray to this "saint" to kickoff their gatherings. Some even pray or venerate other saints of the Catholic Church.

She --Santa Muerte-- has several avatars that differ by color, each representing a special task or blessing that can be met. She is venerated by street vendors, taxi drivers and even thieves and murderers. Thus encompassing the extent of "favors" that she can be expected to fulfill: from prosperity in legal day-to-day business to the death of a competing narc or drug trafficker.

For higher resolution views --and more-- of my images, please visit here Flickr stream.

vfxy Photoblogs | Listed on Photoblogs.org

Comments (13)

Tim Goodspeed from United States

Excellent image. Love it. Very cinematic. You get a really nice contrast in your images. Are you shooting film?

3 Jan 2009 6:31am

@Tim Goodspeed: Thank you, Tim. I shoot digital and process after shooting RAW in the following manner: DXO to correct lens imperfections, then I "develop" in Adobe LightRoom, and I finalize in Photoshop CS.

I wish I could shoot film, but it would be too pricey and lengthy here in Mexico. If I go back to film, it will be with a Bessa T and black and white film.

Mike from Lichfield, United Kingdom

A great photo! The image is visually powerful and I like the high contrast of the black and white.

3 Jan 2009 10:19am

@Mike: Thanks, Mike. Nice of you to take the time to drop and check out my blog.

Damon Schreiber from Toronto, Canada

Very menacing! I suppose we all need our private gods and saints, though I know better than to pray for someone else's misfortune!

3 Jan 2009 3:44pm

@Damon Schreiber: Nothing private about this practice though. I have come to fear the consequences of this practice and find it very hard to believe the religion is in any sense benign. Funny, some people don't even pray for the misfortune of others, their entire lives and behavior are the root of much evil.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Cheers!

marc battault from clermont ferrand, France

uno bastante completo de la elaboración de nosotros un interesante disparo!
la amistad

3 Jan 2009 4:59pm

@marc battault: Gracias, Marc! Saludos!

yz from Budapest, Hungary

Fantastic capture, I like the composition. I also find the reading interesting

3 Jan 2009 8:36pm

@yz: Thanks for the visit, YZ. Glad you liked the image and the caption.

Oly B from Lyon, France

Great picture, like the contrast !

3 Jan 2009 8:57pm

@Oly B: Thank you, Oly B. Have a good one!

Pixim from Nice, France

Whouaaah, I adore. A powerful B&W, a camera angle which creates a new space of lines, all that for the service of Santa Muerte for its comedy on ground Bravo ;)

3 Jan 2009 10:12pm

@Pixim: Oh, I hope not to have been of any service to this belief system, but I do hope you were --to some extent-- by this ethnological peek into Mexican culture. Thanks for your flattering, but encouraging, comments. Glad you liked the image. Cheers!

Daryl from Amagasaki, Japan

What great lens work. A really striking image.

4 Jan 2009 1:43am

@Daryl: Thanks, Daryl. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Cheers!

Rags from Plano, United States

This is such a powerful image.

5 Jan 2009 2:49am

@Rags: Thank you!

Margie from Auckland, New Zealand

Awesome shot, Luis. I'm drawn to it yet also slightly repulsed - it's both fascinating and frightening. Sorry I can't quite get the words right! It's early morning on this side of the planet. :)
And thanks for the information too. One of the reasons I love this site is that we get this peek into other cultures vastly different from our own.

5 Jan 2009 7:41pm

@Margie: This is why I enjoy this site too --apart from all the impressive talent I get to learn from by seeing. I see where you are coming from; it is very scary and repulsive.

Hikari from Kumamoto, Japan

Una imagen impresionante que muestra lo cerca que están la vida y la muerte , ese procesado tuyo tan característico la hace incluso mas traumática.
Saludos !

6 Jan 2009 2:11am

@Hikari: Gracias, Saludos!!