San Miguel Arcangel Nicho
Saint Michael the Archangel

San Miguel Arcangel - Saint Michael the Archangel - is a very important saint in Mexico. He is associated, for instance, with the cult of the Day of the Dead, because it is believed that, at the moment of death, the angels and the devils fight over the spirit of the departed, and San Miguel is called on in order to take the side of the angels and assure the spirit will be carried off to Heaven This figure is over twelve inches tall. At his feet is another carved and painted figure representing Lucifer as half man and half dragon. Notice the exquisite and painstaking detail.

San Miguel is considered to be the Captain of the Heavenly Army. He is likely derived from the Sumerian "seven gods of the Earth", who are called on to protect the human race from the "seven demons of the seven days".

In Mexico, San Miguel is often called to do an "amparo". This is something that a curandero is expected to have to protect himself from witchcraft. It is believed that, once a curandero has "cured" a patient from a spell inflicted by a witch, that the spell can "jump" onto the the curandero, and thus the amparo is necessary to prevent that.

Here is the most common prayer to San Miguel.

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

Saint Michael is one of the most popular saints around. Besides his role in Catholicism, and the subject we are most interested in - Mexican curanderismo - he is also tremendously popular with people whose interest is simply angels, and who may not be interested in Catholicism or any other Christian sect. If the truth be known, Saint Michael survives from the era of Hebrew pantheism. He was one of the "Gods of the Earth", or "Beings of Light", which far predate the introduction of monotheism in the area of Palestine such as the parts that were briefly ruled over by the Hebrew tribes.

"El Chamuco"

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