TATTOO DESIGNS

Showing posts with label Death tattoos meaning. Show all posts

Grim Reaper tattoos - coloured or black and white?

Many grim reaper tattoos are created using only black ink and intricate shading to make various shades of grey; however, monotone tattoos are not for everyone. On the other hand, if you decide for a coloured tattoo, you should inform yourself about tattoo colours and tattoo inks, because there is no such thing as "universally-good-tattoo-colours"; in fact, when you decide for a certain colour for your tattoo, in the first place you have to consider your skin tone. Besides that, remember that some tattoo colours are difficult to maintain and they have the tendency to fade faster than others (in this post you might find out some useful information about this subject). Anyway, if you like coloured tattoos and you really want to incorporate some vibrant colours into your Grim Reaper tattoo, here are some suggestions that might help you:

Blue and cyan are probably the most common colours used in the Grim Reaper tattoos, excepting, of course, black and grey. You can use blue and cyan to fill with color the schyte's / sword's blade, the night sky, the clouds and the moon, the mist (if the Grim Reaper appears surrounded by mist) and even the Death's robe.
Brown: one could hardly find another colour that suits a Death tattoo. Because brown is the colour of the wood, there are lots of elements which can be filled with this colour: crosses, coffins, dead trees, old books and papyri, etc. Anyway, a brown tattoo isn't appropriate for any type of skin, so you'd better ask the tattooer before choose the brown colour for your tattoo.
Red: a powerful and violent colour, red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with war and violent death, danger, strength, power, anger, etc. There are many elements which can be coloured in red in a Grim Reaper tattoo: the Death's eyes; the flowers (the red roses, as a symbol of the ephemeral are very common in Death tattoos); the Grim Reaper's robe; the drops of blood dripping down the Death's scythe.
Green (especially the so-called "poison green" or the pale-green): when Death is depicted as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (as mentioned in the Christian Bible) Death is riding a pale-green horse
Purple: This color is commonly associated with royalty. Death is sometimes portrayed as the King of the Underworld, so you can use this color for the Death's robe.
Silver: the blade of the Death's scythe (or the blade of the sword, if the Death is depicted as the Angel of Death).
Yellow and orange: these two colours are not so popular in the Death tattoos. Anyway, there are some elements which can be filled with orange and yellow: thunders, flames (the Flames of Hell); sometimes Death is riding a fire-horse; the fire in the Reaper’s eyes; the Moon; the light of the Death's lantern.

Skulls and skeletons tattoos (4)

Click on the links below if you want to read the previous posts:
Various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo: skulls and skeletons (1)
Skulls and skeletons tattoos (2)
Skulls and skeletons tattoos (3)

As it can be seen from the previous posts, a skull / skeleton tattoo could have various meanings:

A skull tattoo could be seen as a symbol of the fleetingness of life
Skulls / skeletons tattoos as a symbol of the certainty of death
A skull with wings means that death is the road to a new form of existence
Skulls are sometimes depicted as symbols of the transitory nature of life and death
Jolly Roger, a symbol of the total disregard for the authorities, as well as a symbol of the absolute freedom
The Totenkopf
The "Skull and Crossbones" tattoos are a symbol of strength, courage and bravure, as well as a symbol of the disregard for one's life
Skulls as trophies
In the Mexican tattoo-culture, skulls and skeletons are linked with the celebration of the Day of the Dead.
Skulls as a symbol used in Alchemy and Magic
Skull tattoos is a symbol of wisdom
Cheating death - these theme is very common among outlaw gangs
Many people that have a near death experience choose to get a skull tattoo to represent their experience. This is a reminder to appreciate every second that we are given.
A skull tattoo can be considered a way to show others your wild and crazy side
Some people consider skull tattoos as talismans (particularly useful in gambling)
A pair of skulls can be seen as a symbol of eternal love (especially when the tattoo also contains other symbols of love like hearts, wedding rings, roses, etc)
Sometimes a skull tattoo is made just for art's sake and it has no special meaning

Skulls and skeletons tattoos (2)

Many people choose to get a skull tattoo because they want to show their affiliation to a group or to show their beliefs and their devotion to them.

The famous Jolly Roger (the black flag with a white skull and two human bones crossed under the skull) once used by pirates, was both an intimidating signal and a symbol of the total disregard for the authorities, as well as a symbol of the absolute freedom. This symbol (which is still preserving its original meaning) symbol was integrated into various systems of symbols belonging to different subculture or/and counterculture groups (like the outlaw motorcycle clubs whose members often get Jolly Roger tattoos to show their lawlessness). Sometimes, the anarchists use the "Jolly Roger" as a symbol of rebellion against the organized authority.

Jolly Roger tattoo: a pirate skull and two crossed pirate swords

a Jolly Roger tattoo

The Dead Man's Head consists usually of the human skull with or without the mandible and often includes two crossed long-bones (the femurs). Unlike the Jolly Roger design, the Dead Man's Head design features a skull with the crossbones placed behind the skull, instead of beneath it. The Dead Man's Head is an ancient symbol and has had different meanings over time; in the Elizabethan England, for instance, The Death's-Head Skull (usually a depiction without the lower jawbone), was emblematic of bawds, rakes, sexual adventurers and prostitutes; the term Deaths-Head was actually parlance for these rakes, and most of them wore half-skull rings to advertise their station, either professionally or otherwise. The original rings were wide silver objects, with a half-skull decoration not much wider than the rest of the band; this allowed it to be rotated around the finger to hide the skull in polite company, and to reposition it in the presence of likely conquests.

Dead Man's Head ring

The Totenkopf was used by the german Schutzstaffel (SS) as the unit's insignia. As a consequence of that, this particular design of the Dead Man's Head has become closely associated with various movements like the "white nationalist" movements, the "white power skinhead" movements and the "Neo-Nazi" movement.

a Totenkopf tattoo - a symbol of the Neo-Nazi movement

a Totenkopf tattoo - a tattoo design closely associated with the Neo-Nazi's ideology

the 3rd SS Division's Totenkopf insignia

Totenkopf design; the draw also contain a variant of so-called "Cross Pattee (English: Cross Patty; German: Tatzenkreuz)"; the Cross Pattee is often mistakenly identified with the gothic crosses, but actually it is an ancient symbol which was largely used by the Teutonic Knights and sometimes by the Templiers. The Cross Pattee design was incorporated in the design of the "Iron Cross", a german decoration for military valor established by the King Frederick William III of Prussia in 1813. The Iron Cross remained in use, in various forms, by Prussia and later Germany until 1945.

Variations on the Skull and Crossbones are used by various military units as a symbol of strength, courage and bravure, as well as a symbol of the disregard for one's life. On wikipedia you can find a list of the Skull and crossbones military insignias.

The BOPE emblem, a skull impaled on a sword, backed by two gold pistols sends out a strong, unambiguous message. The emblem symbolises armed combat, war and death. The BOPE’s emblem, a skull with a crisscross of pistols, is believed to possess mystical powers of protection. BOPE = Special Policial Operations Battalion, a special forces unit of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. If you want to know more about BOPE you can visit their blog or you can watch these two movies: Elite Squad and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

Various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo: skulls and skeletons (1)

Human skulls and skeletons are one of the most common elements in the Grim Reaper tattoos, due to the fact that skeletons and skulls have long been associated with death and decay (sometimes Death himself is portrayed as a skeleton).

the modern society associates skulls with decay, death and evil

Skull tattoos do represent death, but they usually represent the fleetingness of life. Various Latin maxims and aphorisms: Memento Mori (Remember your mortality, Remember you must die or Remember you will die), Sic Transit Gloria Mundi (Thus passes the glory of the world), Carpe Diem (Seize the day), Ubi sunt...? (Where are...?) or Ubi nunc...? (Where now...?) - both of them are shortened variants of the Ubi sunt qui ante nos fuerunt? Where are those who were before us?) are very often included in the skull tattoo designs; their role is to remind us that Death comes to us all, and for this reason is important to enjoy every moment of life.

a very popular tattoo design: a skull and the latin maxim "Memento mori"

Seize the day or die regretting - a tattoo design which contains flowers (which symbolize brevity and the ephemeral nature of life) and a skull

Memento Mori tattoo / skull tattoo / tattoo on the arm

Memento Mori - the skull is a reminder of the mortality

As a symbol of the certainty of death, skulls are one of the most common symbols used in the Vanitas art

vanitas tattoo containing a skull (a symbol of dead and mortality), several roses (symbols of the ephemeral nature of life), a candle (an object closely related with the cult of the dead) and a watch (a symbol of the inexorable flow of time)

Vanitas tattoo: the beauty is ephemeral, Death awaits every man and woman

a tattoo inspired by the illustration 'All is Vanity' by Charles Allan Gilbert

Despite the fact that the skull is often a symbol of mortality, a design which depicts a skull backed by a pair of wings (usually a pair of angelic wings, but this is not mandatory) is rather a positive design with various meanings: resurrection; death is the road to a new form of existence; the death frees one of the burdens of life; the progression of the human soul through the afterlife. Anyway, the winged skull is not always a positive design, having also many negative connotations: danger, death (death which can reach everyone everywhere), lawlessness (very common in the bikers-gang tattoos)

a winged skull tattoo

back tattoo: winged skull

many biker gangs adopt the winged skull as one of their emblems

The skull is also a symbol of the transitory nature of life and death, and for this reason some designers choose to include a skull into more complex designs which represent the infinite cycle of the life and death.

the death (symbolized here by the skull) is a part of the infinite cycle of life

Death tattoos - various elements which can occur in a Grim Reaper tattoo - weapons

The most common elements in the Death tattoos are, without any doubt, the weapons (for the obvious reason that they are used for killing people).
The scythe is, by far, the most popular choice when it comes to a Grim Reaper tattoo. The scythe can symbolize the cutting of negative energies or influences. Also, as a harvesting tool, it can symbolize hope and prosperity. It can represent the moment of death, when a scythe is said to cut a silver thread. The scythe has a long handle, indicating that it can reach anywhere.

Death tattoo: Death carrying a little baby

Death tattoo: Death is portrayed as a young woman holding a scythe

skeleton tattoo design / Death tattoo / tribal tattoo

Death tattoo: a skeleton praying to Death. If you like this tattoo design you can find it in a larger format on my web site, www.seiza.ro

However, when the Death is portrayed as the Death Angel, the scythe is usually (but not necessarily) replaced by a sword. The sword can be a short, simple, sword (similar to the roman Gladius) or a highly-decorated sword.

Death tattoo covering the shoulder and the upper arm: Grim Reaper portrayed as a winged skeleton

Angel of Death tattoo: the Angel of Death is holding a highly decorated sword

Without being very popular, many other medieval weapons can be seen in the Death tattoos: spears, lances and javelins (these weapons can be seen in the Angel of Death tattoos or in the tattoos which depict Death as a medieval knight), knives and daggers (very common in the Skulls tattoo designs), bows and arrows, etc.

Grim Reaper portrayed as an archer / bowman

Increasingly popular are the fire-guns: usually handguns - derringers, old-fashioned revolvers (very common in the Mexican Mafia tattoos and in the Skulls tattoos), semi-automatic pistols and machine pistols (very common in the gang / prison tattoos) but also various long guns (like shotguns or sniper rifles).

gangsta tattoo: Grim Reaper pointing an old-fashioned revolver

Gangsta tattoo: Grim Reaper pointing a revolver. This tattoo was drawn by Peter Coinin Jr., a tattoo artist who works at the Beauty Mark Tattoo, 3356 East Main Street Waterbury, Connecticut. If you like this tattoo and you want to buy it you can send an email at this mail-address: beautymarktattoo@yahoo.com or you can visit their web-page

skull and guns tattoo covering a men's chest

a very popular combination: guns, roses and a skull

Death tattoo: a skull, two pistols and several gunshot wounds

skull tattoo covering a man's chest: a skull and two crossing revolvers surrounded by several gunshot wounds

Death tattoo: Angel of Death portrayed as a sniper

a vision modern of the Angel of Death: Angel of Death portrayed as a sniper

Death tattoo: Grim Reaper portrayed as a sniper

a vision modern of the Grim Reaper: Grim Reaper portrayed as a sniper

a very popular tattoo theme: skulls and guns

gangsta-style Death tattoo: Grim Reaper holding a semi-automatic pistol

gangsta tattoo design: a skeleton holding a modern semi-automatic pistol

Death tattoo - various elements which can occur in a Death tattoo - animals

There are several animals which are often depicted in the Grim Reaper tattoo-designs.

The most common of them is, by far, the Death's black horse. Despite the fact that initially (in the book of the Apocalypse) the Death is described as riding a pale horse, many tattoo artist choose to depict the Reaper riding a black horse (possibly due to the traditional interpretation of the color black representing famine, decay and death.) Another very common tattoo-motif is the Death riding a skeleton horse.

Death tattoo on the back: Death riding his horse

Sometimes, Grim Reaper is depicted accompanied by a dog:
1. The Black Dog from the British folklore. The black dog is essentially a nocturnal apparition, often said to be associated with the Devil or a Hellhound. Its appearance was regarded as a portent of death. It is generally supposed to be larger than a normal dog, and often has large, glowing eyes.
2. Cerberus - the three-headed dog which guards the gates of the Underworld, to prevent those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping. Cerberus appears especially when Grim Reaper is depicted as a lord of the Underworld. Usually, in these tattoos Grim Reaper is depicted sitting on a throne decorated with skulls and human bones; Cerberus is sitting near the throne.
3. A new trend in the Grim Reaper tattoos is to replace the old-fashioned mythological dogs with Pit Bulls and Rottweilers.

Cerberus, the guardian of the Underworld

Birds which are usually seen as bad omens that foretell of death like crows and ravens. Crows and ravens have been long time associated with death, sorcery, evil lords, haunted castles, etc.

Venomous snakes - the old symbol of pure evil is sometimes present in Grim reaper tattoos, but more often snakes are present in the skull tattoos (which have a slightly different meaning than the Grim reaper tattoos).

Increasingly popular some butterflies (especially the moths), bugs, spiders, etc. can occur in a Death tattoo.

Lower back tattoo: a Death's Head Hawk Moth

Death tattoo: the Death's hourglass

Very often, various symbols of the relentless flow of time (like hourglasses, watches, sundials, old pendulum clocks, timepieces, horologes) are included in the Death tattoo designs. The presence of the time-related symbols is a reminder that the time is running out and the life is slipping away.

Among these, the most popular is the traditional symbol of mortality - the Hourglass.

The image of the hourglass, sometimes with the addition of metaphorical wings, is a symbol of the human life's fleeting, and that the "sands of time" will run out for every human life. The Hourglass also represents the belief that death is not the end, but rather the beginning of something new, as the hourglass can be turned to start over. The hourglass is also a symbol of the patience (the symbol of Death patiently waiting for every human being).

This design often uses the hourglass as the focal point in the tattoo. The hour glass design can be made to look almost as menacing as the Grim Reaper.

Death tatoo / Grim Reaper tattoo / hourglass tattoo

Death's hourglass tattoo / Grim Reaper's hourglass tattoo - if you like this image you can find it on my web site, seiza.ro

Death and the standing nude woman; reverse copy after Sebald Beham; Death as a winged skeleton standing behind a nude whole-length female figure in frontal view, grabbing her wrists; in the lower-right corner can be seen an hourglass.

Santa Muerte tattoos: several questions

Previous posts:
1. Death tattoos: Santa Muerte - origins and significations
2. Death tattoos: portrayals of the Santa Muerte
3. Santa Muerte tattoos: various elements which can occur in these tattoos

What could be the reason for getting a Santa Muerte tattoo? The first reason is the belief that Santa Muerte, being the saint of death, has the right to decide when one should die. By pleasing Santa Muerte, one can delay the moment of his / her death, can escape from deadly problems, etc. Besides, many of those who believe in Santa Muerte think that she can decide not only the moment of one's death but also the way in which a person will die and, consequently, a man need to gain her goodwill in order to receive a peaceful death.

Who are those willing to get a "Santa Muerte" tattoo? Initially, the Santa Muerte tattoos (just as the Santa Muerte worship) were popular only among thieves, drug-dealers, Mexican Mafia members, etc. For a stranger this might appear strange but most Mexicans and other Hispanic people, even though they are involved in gangs or other criminal activities, are deeply religious and rely on their Christian symbols to both identify and protect them. Moreover, they are exactly the people for whom the risk of death is always present and, quite obvious, they were the very first people willing to seek the Santa Muerte's protection. However, with the spread of the Santa Muerte worship, these tattoos ceased to be a symbol of the criminal underworld and nowadays there are hundreds or even thousands of ordinary Mexican Catholics who have an image of Santa Muerte tattooed on their bodies.

Are those tattoos "satanic tattoos"? On this issue, opinions are divided. The Roman Catholic Church has denounced the worship of Santa Muerte, considering it as a black magic and the Santa Muerte's followers as devil worshippers. On the other hand, many, if not all, of the Santa Muerte's followers consider themselves good Catholics. Santa Muerte figurines often stand near the statues of Jesus Christ or the Virgin of Guadalupe because the devotees to Santa Muerte do not see any contradiction between the Catholic faith and the worship of Santa Muerte. In many ways, a ritual dedicated to Santa Muerte is very similar to a Catholic rite, including procession and prayers for power healing, protection and favors.

Although there are many similarities between the two worships, Santa Muerte should not be confused with San la Muerte: San la Muerte is a "he" and is portrayed as a male skeleton, while Santa Muerte is a "she"; San la Muerte is venerated in the South America, not in Mexic; it seems that the San La Muerte cult is based on punishment and submission, etc. For more details about the San la Muerte cult visit this page: San La Muerte - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Santa Muerte tattoos: various elements which can occur in these tattoos

Previous posts:
1. Death tattoos: Santa Muerte - origins and significations
2. Death tattoos: portrayals of the Santa Muerte

Santa Muerte tattoo: Santa Muerte carrying a scythe, a globe and a scale

The two most common objects that Santa Muerte carries are a scythe and a globe.

The scythe can symbolize the cutting of negative energies or influences. Also, as a harvesting tool, it can symbolize hope and prosperity. It can represent the moment of death, when a scythe is said to cut a silver thread. The scythe has a long handle, indicating that it can reach anywhere.

The globe represents Death’s dominion and can be seen as a kind of a tomb to which we all return. Having the world in her hand also symbolizes vast power.

death tattoo: Santa Muerte portrayed as a skeleton queen of the world

The crown - the symbol of royalty.

The presence of this symbol may be explained in two ways: firstly, the cult of Santa Muerte was highly influenced by the aztec cult of Mictecacihuatl, the queen of the Mictlan; secondly, Santa Muerte is ofted portrayed as a skeleton version of the Virgin of Guadalupe - Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas.

mexican death tattoo: Santa Muerte surrounded by flowers (roses)

Flowers (especially roses)

Just like in real life, where Santa Muerte's shrines are adorned with flowers, the Santa Muerte tattoos are usually highly decorated with beautiful flowers. Another explanation for the presence of the flowers in these tattoos could be that the ephemeral flowers are reminder of the ephemerality of the (human) life.

Santa Muerte tattoo; Holy Death mexican tattoo

The halo

The halo (also known as a nimbus, aureole, glory, or gloriole) - being a catholic saint, the presence of a nimbus is mandatory. Usually, the entire body of the Holy Death (Santa Muerte) is surrounded by a halo, but there are situations where the halo surrounds only the saint's head (a well-known visual convention in the representations of the saints in the Christian iconography).

mexican Death tattoo: the beloved Santa Muerte, queen of the underworld

Beautiful coloured hearts

The presence of the hearts in a death tattoo can seem strange to someone who is not familiar with the cult of Santa Muerte. The explanation is quite simple: Santa Muerte is not feared but loved. Santa Muerte's worshipers send her requests for love, affection, luck, money and protection, as well as malicious requests regarding their enemies.

mexican tattoo: Santa Muerte holding a hourglass

The hourglasses

An hourglass indicates the time of life on earth. It also represents the belief that death is not the end, but rather the beginning of something new, as the hourglass can be turned to start over. The hourglass is also a symbol of the patience.

mexican tattoo; Santa Muerte tattoo/ skulls tattoo

Human skulls, human bones, skeletons

The presence of the human bones (skulls or skeletons) in the depictions of the Santa Muerte is another proof of the link between the Santa Muerte worship and the ancient Aztec cult of Mictecacihuatl. Unlike the Christian beliefs about Death (Grim Reaper, Angel of Death, etc), according to which the role of the Death is to separate the human soul from the body and to guide the deceased to the next world, the Aztec deity Mictecacihuatl was the queen of the Mictlan; according to the Aztec religion she was living among her subjects and was keeping watch over the bones of the dead.

mexican Death tattoo; Santisima Muerte tattoo; Grim Reaper tattoo

The scales

The scales allude to equity, justice and impartiality, as well as divine will.

Grim Reaper tattoo; mexican death tattoo; Santa Muerte tattoo; owl tattoo

An owl

The owl symbolizes her ability to navigate the darkness and her wisdom. The owl is also said to act as a messenger.

Death tattoos: portrayals of the Santa Muerte

Previous posts:
1. Death tattoos: Santa Muerte - origins and significations

Depictions

Santa Muerte portrayed as Grim Reaper

Most of the Santa Muerte tattoos, especially those which are made by unskilled "artists" or those made under improper conditions (like prisons) are usually cheap depictions of the Grim Reaper: a skeleton dressed in a long hooded cloak, carrying a scythe.

Santa Muerte tattoo: Santa Muerte portrayed as a skeletal version of the Virgin of Guadalupe

Santa Muerte portrayed as a skeleton version of
the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico

More original images actually portray the feminine aspect of the character, and a look that often resembles a skeleton version of the Virgin of Guadalupe (the patron saint of Mexico, Patroness of the Americas, Empress of Latin America, and Protectress of Unborn Children).

mexican dead tattoo: Santa Muerte portrayed as a young woman

If she's not portrayed as a skeleton version of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Holy Death (Santa Muerte) is very often portrayed as a dead young woman. In this case, one can identify a Santa Muerte tattoo by the presence of certain elements: an aura around the head or around the entire body, the presence of the human skulls at the bottom of the tattoo, the praying hands, the presence of the flowers (Santa Muerte worshipers are supposed to offer her flowers along with food, tobacco, money, prayers, and, of course, their faith).

The clothes:

Usually, Santa Muerte is depicted wearing either a long robe or (less commonly) a long dress, covered from head to feet with only the face and hands showing. The color of the dress can be white, yellow, blue, black or red (in exchange for a peaceful death, the Aztecs used to offer blood to the king and the queen of the Mictlan - Mictlantecahtli and Mictecacihuatl; because blood offerings were considered of utmost importance the color red became intimately associated with the king and the queen of the Land of the Dead). However, due to the fact that coloured tattoos are quite expensive, very often the entire tattoo is made only with regular blue or black tattoo ink.

Santa Muerte (literally Holy Death or Saint Death) tattoos are extremely popular among the Mexican people. Santa Muerte (also known as Santisima Muerte, Señora de las Sombras (Lady of the Shadows), Señora Blanca (White Lady), Señora Negra (Black Lady), Niña Santa (Holy Girl), La Flaca (The Skinny One), Santa Sebastienne, etc) is the beloved goddess of death who's origins date to the pre hispanic period of Mexico.

The origins of the myths of Santa Muerte aren't completely clear, but is quite obvious that the cult of Santa Muerte is a syncretism between Mesoamerican and Catholic beliefs. Mexican culture since the pre-Columbian era has maintained a certain reverence towards death, which can be seen in the widespread Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead. Death became personified in Aztec and other cultures in the form of humans with half their flesh missing, symbolizing the duality of life and death.

In the pre-Columbian Aztec religion, the realm of the souls of the people who died from natural causes (of old age, diseases, etc) was Mictlan, the lowest and northernmost section of the underworld. Mictlan was ruled by a king, Mictlantecuhtli (Lord of the Underworld) and his wife, Mictecacihuatl (Lady of the Underworld).

Mictecacihuatl was not only the Queen of Mictlan, but was also the protector of the souls residing in the dark underworld (some legends claimed that she was the goddess in charge with the bones of the dead). She also presided over the ancient festivals of the dead, which evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead (in spanish el Dia de los Muertos) - originally a holiday which fell at the end of the month of July and the beginning of August and was dedicated to the children and the dead.

The persons who died by natural causes were interred with grave goods, which they carried with them on the long and dangerous journey to the underworld. Upon arrival in Mictlan these goods were offered to Mictlantecuhtli and his wife, Mictecacihuatl. Many of the offerings given then are the same as those offered to Santa Muerte today.

Mictlantecuhtli (left) and Mictecacihuatl (right)

After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the worship of death diminished but was never eradicated, and the Day of the Dead remained one of the most important mexican festivals. In contrast to the Day of the Dead, due to the fact that the Catholic Church has labeled Santa Muerta as a death cult, claiming it has ties to satanism, the worship of Santa Muerte remained hidden until the 19th century. When it surfaced, reaction was often harsh, requiring the burning of any image found.

The religion of Santa Muerte was born in the middle of the 20th century, and at the very beginning was clandestine and closely associated with crime. However, in the past decades, original Santa Muerte's followers (such as thieves, pickpockets and street drug dealers) have merged with thousands of ordinary Mexican Catholics who had become disillusioned with the rigid behaviour of the Catholic Church and its insufficient reflection of life in the modern Mexican society. The Santa Muerte veneration, offering a spiritual way out of hardship, has rapidly expanded. The number of believers has grown to approximately two million followers and the new religion has crossed the borders.

photos taken during the ritual of 'Santa Muerte'

Although the Roman Catholic Church has denounced the worship of Saint Death, considering it as a black magic and the Santa Muerte's followers as devil worshippers, the devotees have never given up their Catholic faith. Santa Muerte figurines often stand near the statues of Jesus Christ or the Virgin of Guadalupe because the devotees to Santa Muerte do not see any contradiction between the Catholic faith and the worship of Santa Muerte. In many ways, a ritual dedicated to Santa Muerte is very similar to a Catholic rite, including procession and prayers for power healing, protection and favors.

Some worshippers make the last part of the pilgrimage to the shrine on their bloodied knees and many of them smoke marijuana that has a strong relation to Saint Death. Before the rosary is prayed collectively at the end of the day, they leave offerings (money, candies, tabacco, flowers and candles) and make petitions to ‘La Santísima Muerte’, who is reputedly a very powerful saint and can make life-saving miracles.

To be continued...