Slave Anastacia – Folk Saint, Umbanda Spirit and Symbol of Afro-Brazilian Empowerment

Last updated on: July 5, 2023 at 1:59 pm By Andrew Chesnut

Escrava Anastácia, or Slave Anastacia, is a fascinating figure on the Brazilian spiritual landscape who serves as both a vernacular saint in folk Catholicism and a spirit guide in the Afro-Brazilian religion of Umbanda. Her story encapsulates a tragic and compelling narrative that intertwines historical accounts of slavery, racial identity, gender oppression, and spiritual resistance. While the existence of Anastácia as an actual historical figure is dubious, her legend has endured and transcended time, symbolizing the resilience and resistance of... Read more

Somebody’s Always Watching Me – Dr. Andrew Chesnut Interviews Antonio Pagliarulo on His New Book “The Evil Eye”

Last updated on: June 6, 2023 at 8:03 am By Andrew Chesnut

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Dr. Andrew Chesnut: Antonio – you just published this new book on one of the world’s oldest superstitions at a time when institutional religious affiliation is waning and secularization is surging. I have to ask: Why the Evil Eye, and why now? Antonio Pagliarulo: The Evil Eye has always been with us; it’s one of the few ancient beliefs that is truly ubiquitous, present in myriad cultures and countries. In the past few years, however, there has been a... Read more

Saint of Death Santa Muerte Gave Me a New Lease on Life

Last updated on: April 25, 2023 at 10:57 am By Andrew Chesnut

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By guest contributor Seamus Bellamy* I found Santa Muerte before I came to Mexico. I had seen Her many times, in many ways, over the years. I spoke to Her before I even knew her name. She was with me at times when I did harm to others. She watched over me when I attempted to harm myself. “Not yet,” and I would stay a little longer. “Not yet,” and I stayed so long that I outlived the plans... Read more

Santa Muerte Guides Me as a Death Doula

Last updated on: March 29, 2023 at 9:26 am By Andrew Chesnut

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My name is Carl Orosco* and I’m a Death Doula. A Death Doula is a individual who helps someone through their dying process and also helps to emotionally support the family through the death. I am told by people all the time that they don’t know how I have the strength to do what I do because they couldn’t handle being confronted with death and dying on a normal basis. What people don’t see is that this calling for me... Read more

Amid Massive Street Protests Mexican President AMLO Tweets a Fake Elf Photo

Last updated on: March 1, 2023 at 10:02 am By Andrew Chesnut

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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) has found himself at the center of controversy following a recent social media hoax that involved a supposed elf sighting. On February 25 the president, who is known for his populism and quirkiness, tweeted “I’m sharing two photos from our directorship of the Mayan Train project: one taken by an engineer three days ago, it appears to be an Aluxe; the other (photo) by Diego Prieto of a splendid pre-Hispanic sculpture at Ek... Read more

Former Mexican Top Cop on Trial in NYC Worshiped the Devil and Santa Muerte

Last updated on: January 31, 2023 at 9:10 am By Andrew Chesnut

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Former Mexican Secretary of Public Security, Genaro Garcia Luna, is currently on trial in a Brooklyn court on charges of drug trafficking and making false statements to federal agents. The trial, which began on January 25, 2023, is the result of a multi-year investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into allegations that Garcia Luna took millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most powerful drug trafficking... Read more

Recensione di “Santa Muerte: I Sette Volti della Mietitrice”

Last updated on: January 11, 2023 at 11:44 am By Andrew Chesnut

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Circa quattro anni fa, all’inizio del mio percorso di devozione alla Santa Muerte, mi sentivo anche io, come molti altri novizi, sperduta e confusa. Non esistono guide spirituali, chiese, templi o società ufficiali che possano indirizzare i nuovi devoti. Questo risulta ancor più complicato per chi non risiede nei luoghi dove il culto della Santa Muerte è più preponderante, ovvero il Messico e alcune zone degli Stati Uniti o del Sudamerica. Per nostra fortuna, i libri si rivelano anche in... Read more

Mestiza Madonna: 16 Fascinating Facts on Virgin of Guadalupe

Last updated on: December 10, 2024 at 9:28 am By Andrew Chesnut

Mexicans will tell you that they are 90 percent Catholic but 100 percent Guadalupan. While the numbers aren’t entirely accurate anymore, it is definitely the case that the Virgin of Guadalupe has been a constituent part of Mexican national identity, reflected in the fact that millions of both women and men are named Guadalupe, many going by the nickname “Lupe,” such as a colleague at the University of Houston, Dr. Guadalupe San Miguel, Professor of Mexican-American history. As a specialist... Read more

Love Will Tear Us Apart – Death Romanticized at Genoa’s Stegliano Cemetery

Last updated on: November 23, 2022 at 3:27 pm By Andrew Chesnut

On June 12, 1804, the edict of Saint-Cloud promulgated by Napoleon Bonaparte radically changed cemetery regulation and practices. Before the publication of the edict, it was customary to bury upper-class and deceased clergy inside the churches or in the adjacent land (the so-called “holy ground”). Wealthier families could afford to build sepulchers, altars and ornate chapels installed inside the places of worship of their religion (not only churches, but also temples and synagogues). The clergy, on the other hand, were... Read more

The Holy Trinity of Justice – Saint Justus, Christ the Just Judge and San la Muerte

Last updated on: October 20, 2022 at 11:14 am By Andrew Chesnut

Dr. Andrew Chesnut writes in his book Devoted to Death: “If the association between Santa Muerte and matters of judgment and law is strong, it is probably even stronger for her Argentine male counterpart, San La Muerte. Indeed, one of the two main myths about the origins of the Argentine skeleton saint refers directly to justice. […] And that is why one of the nicknames of San La Muerte is San Justo (Saint Justus) – San Giusto.” I begin from... Read more