Folks stories about Santa Muerte.

It is believed that the reverence for the Santa Muerte in her current form really took hold in Hidalgo Mexico circa 1965 (there are references that show reverence during the 1950s mi Tia Tina if she were alive today would be 96 years old and she was known to revere the Santa Muerte in her teens), in her modern form Santa Muerte is a syncretic image retaining her powers and attributes as Mictecacihuatl the lady of the dead a protector of souls and children.  She now wears an almost grim reaper image borrowed from the European Necromantic traditions that influenced Mexico.  In addition she carries images or icons that denote or identify her as Mictecacihuatl such as the owl which is often depicted in statues of the Santa Muerte. The owl is one of the animals associated with Mictlantecahtli the Lord of the Dead to whom Mictecacihuatl was mistress, a very strong image to this day in Mexican culture.  Some statues depict the Santa Muerte as a reaper with the scythe holding scales and a crystal ball, others she carries the scales and a crystal ball only. Another interesting note is that she is sometimes depicted in art as holding a globe of the world representing her worldly power in other depictions she is holding a skull then of course there is the hour glass.

a Huesuda is what the people in the rancho used to call the Santa Muerte my Abuela (grandmother) Petra told me this when I would visit her as a child  in Zacatecas Mexico alas my grandmother died in 2001 at the age of 91 years I thank her for having shared her stories of the sacred lady. Because of my abuela's stories I know that the sacred lady was already revered from older times prior to the modern reverence in 1965.  It is uncertain as to when the reverence for the sacred lady really took hold as my grandmother was born in 1910 and she had heard stories of La Huesuda when she was a little girl.  My abuela was part of the older culture in Mexico the syncretic mestizo way of life which incorporated many indigenous manerisms blended with the Catholic and spanish/moorish sayings and teachings.  Another name people use for her is "La Catrina"which is her classic image in the Dia de los Muertos art of Jose Guadalupe Posada which represents her as a skeleton woman of high society. I used to think she resembled a charra of elegance but studying about the great artist Jose Guadalupe Posada and his  calaveras has shown me that she is not the charra but a aristrocartic lady.

ecause of this some of her stories of death include syncretic themes such as a link between the Devil and Death both are syncretic forms of old Mexica deities the Devil is the Black Tezcatlipoca and Death is Mictecacihuatl the Lady of the dead.  Some of her stories she told me said that el diablo y la muerte son hermano y hermana, which means that the devil and death are brother and sister whom she said were always together watching us especially when at church on sunday.  She used to say that la muerte was a very tall lady and she would look into the church on sundays to watch what kids were paying attention to the mass and that she would tell the devil who was good or bad.  I think she told me this like she told all her grand kids to scare them into being "devout catholics".  Well instead of scaring me all my abuela succeeded in doing was to kindle my interest in the sacred lady a fascination which grew untill the years when I started to study and practice brujeria.

Death is a very powerful symbol in traditional Mexican culture there are many old schoolsayings that testify to the impact of the death themes in Mexican culture.  For example there is a saying used for those that are rich or in power such as politicians or wealthy caciques in Mexico it is said of such people que tienen huesos (they have bones) bones are believed to bring either good fortune or misfortune depending on their origin. I believe that this antiquated saying is derived from Mexica creation stories like the one in which Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent took sacred bones from Mictlan land of the dead home of Mictlantecahtli, Quetzalcoatl tricked the the lord of the dead to take the sacred bones.  However as Quetzalcoatl fled the Lord of the Dead made a trap for him which he fell into; scattering all the bones which created humanity. 

Aztec Religion:  Aztec Student Research guide (C) 1997-2005 Thomas H. Frederikson all rights reserved. Relevant sections of the study guide were sections on the Minor deities with descriptions of Mictlantecahtli and his wife Mictecacihuatl and the creation stories in the Major deities section Quetzalcoatl's descention to Mictlan and the Mexica view of death. Information from notes on the codices that speak of the Death gods.

Prehistoric Mesoamerica: by Richard E.W. Adams, Revised edition copyright 1991 by the University of Oklahoma press ISBN 0-8061-2304-4   First edition copyright 1977 by Little, Brown and company, Inc Boston

El Culto a la Santa Muerte, Cuidado de la edicion: Angeles Cuevas Santillan  Diseno de portada: Marco Antonio Almazan Espinoza de los Monteros. Ilustraciones: Miguel Angel Diaz Consuelo. Formacion: Elvira Peniche De Icaza. Primera edicion 2003, Mexico   Ediciones MonteMayor S.A. DE CV

El Secreto de la Santisima Muerte,  serie del Colibri: Copyright Calli Casa Editorial 1996 ISBN 068-6463-00-3