 
Santa Muerte, ‘Saint Death’, or ‘Holy Death’, is a folk saint of contemporary Mexican Catholicism Who is also called Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, ‘Our Lady of Holy Death’. She is a personification of death, usually depicted as a female skeleton clad in flowing robes and holding a scythe, much like the Grim Reaper. She has a large variety of powers, and can be prayed to for just about anything; She has an especial reputation for granting miracles. Santa Muerte has Her roots in the Aztec Goddess Mictecacihuatl (Whose name means ‘Lady of Death’); She and Her husband Mictlantecutli rule over the lowest of the Underworld realms, Mictlan, where They watch over the bones and souls of the dead. Mictecacihuatl was often depicted in Aztec art with somewhat skeletal facial features, claws like an owl, or wearing a garland of skulls. Santa Muerte can be shown with a variety of objects, symbolizing many different things—while the scythe of course is a symbol of death, it also represents prosperity as it is used during harvest time. Other common objects Santa Muerte holds can include the globe, to show that death is ubiquitous, and the scales, which signify that we are all equal, as death takes us all. She can also be shown with Mictecacihuatl’s owl, representing wisdom and the ability to see in the dark. Santa Muerte is mostly honored in Mexico and other parts of Central America and the United States, but Her worship has begun to spread to the rest of the world. Though She is not an official saint in the Catholic church, She is honored on the first and second of November, the famous Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead celebration. Done as a commission. This design is available on prints through ArtPal. |