Not Just a Narcosaint: Santa Muerte as Matron Saint of the Mexican Drug War
Santa Muerte is a Mexican folk saint who personifies death. Santa Muerte has been depicted as a narcosaint, that is to say a saint propitiated only by those who belong to drug cartels, in particular by the Mexican State. As a consequence, the Mexican army, under orders from the Mexican State, has ob...
| Published in: | International journal of Latin American religions |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer International Publishing
[2020]
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| In: |
International journal of Latin American religions
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Mexico
/ Santa Muerte
/ Drug abuse crime
/ Struggle against
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| IxTheo Classification: | AZ New religious movements KBR Latin America KDB Roman Catholic Church |
| Further subjects: | B
Drug War
B Prison B Death B Mexico B Santa Muerte |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | Santa Muerte is a Mexican folk saint who personifies death. Santa Muerte has been depicted as a narcosaint, that is to say a saint propitiated only by those who belong to drug cartels, in particular by the Mexican State. As a consequence, the Mexican army, under orders from the Mexican State, has obliterated thousands of shrines dedicated to the folk saint across the country. However, as we evince, the popular figure has followers in all camps involved in the drug war. Both narcos and those who fight them, prisoners and prison guards, venerate the folk saint, turning to her for spiritual favours, protection and even to predict death. This diverse group of people, although divided by their differing positions in the drug war, turns to her for parallel reasons, to explain, predict and control events. As such, Santa Muerte rather than being a narcosaint should be considered the Matron Saint of the Drug War. |
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| ISSN: | 2509-9965 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal of Latin American religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s41603-020-00095-2 |