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Santisima Muerte Nicho

This nicho is done in the same style as are Mexican nichos that normally contain Catholic Saints - but this one contains a skeleton instead. We have prepared it with incense and with Perfume de Siete Machos. This figure is, actually, according to many Mexicans, a saint - the Santisima Muerte.

Day of Dead art, specifically the use of calaveras as a way of burlesquing persons and institutions which were normally protected by censorship laws is a tradition that goes back very far, with both roots in the European and Indian traditions of Mexico. The Indian roots are mostly with the dual nature deities, whose “death side” was indicated by skeletal figures - the most famous survivor of that tradition is “La Santisima Muerte”. She is rooted in the cult of an Indian goddess whom the Aztecs called Mictlancihuatl - the name means “Lady of Death”. The European roots go back to the danse macabre and to the work of Hans Holbien the Younger - of whom the great Mexican illustrator Guadalupe Posada might be said to have carried on his traditions and brought them back to life. Posada was “rediscovered” by Diego Rivera, who promoted Posada in order to attach his own shining star to the calavera artist’s legend. His fascination with Posada was culminated with the completion of the mural, “Dream on a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park” has a rendition of the Catrina - Posada’s most famous calavera - in the middle of the scene, and even has a portrait of Posada there. Posada's interest in this subject, however, was probably brought about through the influence of the German Jewish exiled art critic Paul Westheim, who is the man who is really behind all of this interest in the Day of the Dead and in Posada. His book “La Calavera” is the most important book every written on the subject, in my opinion, and it pretty much sums up what Diego was originally exposed to when he was first enlighted on the the importance of Day of the Dead art in Mexico.

Manuela Porras is a curandera in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico whose specialty is the cult dedicated to the Santísima Muerte, a particular Mexican “saint” which is banned by the Catholic Church, although many Mexicans insist on believing in her as if she were some sort of variation of Virgin Mary, in the way that, say, the Virgin of Guadalupe is considered to be.

The folk saint “La Santisima Muerte” is usually depicted these days with all of the blandishments of the Grim Reaper, and the figurines that most curanderas and brujas use for their spells looks exactly like the Grim Reaper. There are three figures that are used in this cult - a white one, a black one, and a red one. The white was is for cures and for luck. The black one is for protection and vengeance, and the most commonly used one is red - for love spells. In any event, people generally ignore that, and they almost always implore the help of the Santisima Muerte for love spells. Santisima Muerte. Some versions of this folk saint have her holding a scythe, like the grim reaper, while others have her holding a set of balance type scales, like St. Michael. These scales represent the idea that, when the Santisima Muerte arrives to take you away, if the good you have done in your life outweighs the bad, she takes you in one direction, and if the bad outweighs the good, she takes you in the other. The Santisima Muerte is extremely popular in Mexico, and it seems that her cult is growing by leaps and bounds.

We are including the complete prayers of the La Santisima Muerte, which we have translated into English, along with an image of San Cipriano as protection against malevelant spirits for those who wish to perform these spells. We recommend lighting a candle to St. Michael while the spells are in progress, as additional protection. Below is the main prayer to the La Santisima Muerte:

PRAYER OF THE SANTA MUERTE (my translation)

Jesus Christ the conquerer, who on the cross was conquered, conquer (name of person), that he be conquered for me in the name of the Lord if you are a fierce animal tame as a lamb, tame as the flower of romero[rosemary]; you must come; you ate bread, of him you gave me and through the most strong word that you gave me, I want that you bring me (name of person), that he be humbled, defeated at my feet to complete what to me he has offered. Santisima Muerte, I beseech you lovingly inasmuch as Immortal God formed you with you great power to over all mortals so that you might place them in the celestial shere where were may enjoy a glrious day without night for all eternity and in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I pray and I beseech you that you deign to be my protectress and that you concede all the favors that I ask of you until the last day, hour and moment in which your Divine Majesty commands to take me before your presence. AMEN.

From Fausto's Art Gallery in Ojinaga, Chihuahua.
(Shipped from Presidio, Texas)

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